The Siaya County Government has announced a recruitment
drive targeting senior leadership and technical positions, in a move officials
say is aimed at strengthening service delivery across departments, including
the heavily strained health sector.
The recruitment, issued by the Siaya County Public Service
Board (CPSB), invites applications for 11 County Executive Committee Member
(CECM) positions, all serving during the tenure of the governor, alongside the
position of County Attorney, which carries a six-year contract.
The advertised CECM roles cover key departments, including
Finance and Economic Planning, Governance and Administration, Health and
Sanitation, Agriculture and Blue Economy, Water and Environment, Trade and
Industrialisation, Public Works and Transport, Tourism and Culture, Lands and
Urban Development, and Education and Social Services. Serving public officers
who meet the requirements are eligible to apply.
In addition, the county has listed more than 40 senior and
mid-level positions, including chief officers, directors, deputy directors,
coordinators and officers across multiple departments. Most chief officer
positions are offered on three-year contracts, renewable annually based on
performance.
A significant portion
of the advertised positions is within the health department, which accounts for
dozens of vacancies.
These include posts for medical officers, registered nurses,
clinical officers, pharmaceutical technologists, health records officers and
health information officers, most of which are permanent and pensionable.
The recruitment comes as the county continues efforts to
stabilise its health workforce following a controversial verification exercise
last year.
During that exercise, over 380 individuals were dismissed
after failing to present valid employment documents.
Only about 120 workers were confirmed to have been
officially recruited through a formal interview process and issued authentic
appointment letters.
The dismissals triggered public protests and legal
petitions, with affected individuals claiming they were unfairly removed from
service.
Petitions were submitted both to the county assembly and the
governor’s office, demanding reinstatement and investigation into the alleged
unfair dismissal.
Amid the public outcry in September last year, Governor James
Orengo called on the Siaya county assembly to fast-track its inquiry into the
dismissal of health workers, urging that the matter be concluded within two
weeks.
“Noting the public
outrage over this issue, we urge the county assembly to conclude this matter in
a fortnight rather than a month,” Orengo said, adding that the executive would
not interfere with the assembly’s inquiry or other investigations by state
agencies.
Orengo confirmed that petitions from the dismissed workers
had been received and emphasised that all county recruitment must follow due
process with jobs advertised, applications received and interviews conducted
according to law.
“This is the only
lawful path for individuals to join the county public service,” he said.
The governor acknowledged concerns over past irregularities,
including allegations of bribery and said each case would be examined
individually.
“If indeed there were
exchanges of money, such appointments would be null and void,” he said, adding
that the county would abide by resolutions made by the assembly and other
relevant state organs.
Orengo also called for lifestyle audits on individuals implicated
in fraudulent recruitment schemes and urged dialogue with affected workers to
address grievances fairly and transparently.
EACC is also investigating the matter.
To prevent recurrence of past irregularities, the board has
introduced rigorous vetting requirements.
Applicants are required to submit detailed resumes,
certified copies of academic and professional certificates, national
identification documents and clearance certificates from the Kenya Revenue
Authority, Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, Directorate of Criminal
Investigations, Higher Education Loans Board, and Credit Reference Bureau.
The board warned that any form of canvassing or undue
influence will lead to automatic disqualification and encouraged women,
minorities and persons with disabilities to apply.
According to the
advert, all successful candidates will be subject to vetting and approval by a
select committee of the County Assembly of Siaya before appointment
Only shortlisted
candidates will be contacted.
Interested candidates have until January 12, 2026, at 4 pm
to submit applications either physically at the CPSB offices at Ardhi House in
Bondo or online through the board’s official website and email address.
As Siaya moves to refill critical positions, the recruitment
is expected to strengthen administrative capacity and restore confidence in
public service delivery amid growing public demand for transparency,
accountability and efficiency.