Dr Alfred Mutua, county governor of Kenya’s Machakos county, has fired deputy governor Bernard Kiala, who was in charge of the labour and ICT docket.
The Star reports the move came shortly after Kiala survived an effort to impeach him in the country’s Senate over charges ranging from gross violation of the Constitution and various Acts of Parliament, to gross misconduct and abuse of office.
Mutua said Kiala has been unable to perform his duties and the only way out is to replace him, although he said he would “give him other jobs to do”.
During the Senate hearing Kiala was accused of antagonising Mutua, county executives and staff between March 5, 2013 and July 7 this year. It was also suggested he was not a team player and undermined the spirit of collective responsibility.
He also failed to disclose he had a criminal case still in court while labour chief officer Jackson Kala told the committee a staff audit revealed the deputy governor had influenced the hiring of 14 relatives and friends.
In his defence Kiala told the Senate committee there were “substantive issues of governance” that were “at the very bottom” of his problems with the County Assembly and County Government of Machakos.
Image courtesy of Shutterstock.
