BY NT CORRESPONDENT.
A Homa Bay voter has moved to court to block members of the County Public Service Board from assuming office arguing that the recruitment process was tainted with illegalities.
Patrick Okuku Odemba wants the High Court in Kisumu to block the officials from assuming office stating that the vetting of the members of the board was conducted by the county assembly on Saturday and Sunday without public participation.
Through lawyer Duncan Okatch, Odemba wants the board barred from purporting to discharge any functions confered to them by the office or from making or receiving any benefits directly or indirectly associated with the office pending hearing and determination of the case.
“The petitioner is thus apprehensive that unless this court urgently intervenes and grants the orders sought in the instant application , the successful person interviewed on 19th and 20th days of November (weekend) will assume office as the member of the Homabay County Public Service Board and perform functions of that office through an illegality and a process aimed at defeating justice,” says Odemba.
Odemba further wants the court to temporarily stop Ruth Aloo from performing or acting as the Chief Executive Officer of Homa Bay Public Service Board.
Through lawyer Okatch, Odemba claim that on 4th day of October this year, the Homa Bay County Public Service Board interviews of shortlisted candidates to fill in positions for members of public service board and the said interviews were to be conducted on 19th and 20th of November.
However, Homabay County Public Service Board had on 28th day of September advertised vacancies for the county chief officers, directors and deputy directors in various positions and as such, the same was done in absence of a properly constituted board and in blatant disregard of the constitution.
“As at the time of the said advertisement vacancies of county chief officers, directors and deputy directors in various positions , the Public board was not even properly constituted as it lacked statutory mandatory to operate as stipulated under section of the county government (amendment) Act,2020 thus rendering the untire recruitment process a nullity ab initio ,” he adds.
According to documents, in a bid to remedy the wrong and defeat justice the board through the county assembly has gone ahead and conducted interviews for the members of the public service board so as to fill the vacancies in the board before interviews for the county Chief officers, directors and deputy directors could commence.
“It is quite shocking that the interviews were conducted on the 19th and 20th day November,2022 which days are both Saturday and Sunday and not working days and without public participation,” says Odemba.
Odemba adds that the entire process is fought with patent conflict of interest the Governor illegally appointed Ruth Oloo as the acting secretary and Chief Executive Officer of Public Service Board yet the same person is also substantive chief officer of in charge of energy.
