Appointment of Kericho County Secretary halted over panel legality

The County government of Kericho will stay without a substantive County Secretary after the Employment and Labour Relations court in Kericho suspended the approval and appointment of the County Secretary after a petition challenged the legality of the recruitment panel.

The Employment and Labour Relations court judge, Justice James Rika, directed Governor Eric Mutai to halt the process of approval and appointment of any candidate whose name had been forwarded by the panel, pending the hearing and determination of the case.

The petition was filed by Ngetich Kiplangat Gideon, a resident of Kericho, who took issue with the composition of the panel tasked with recruiting the County Secretary.

The petitioner argues that the recruitment panel was unlawfully constituted and that one of the members of the panel does not qualify as a representative of the private sector, having previously served as the chair of the National Labour Board.

The petitioner accuses another member of not being a paid-up members of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya(ICPAK) and having unresolved disciplinary issues.

Another member is alleged to have been appointed without proper clearance from the Law Society of Kenya(LSK).

Kericho Governor Eric Mutai, County Attorney Gideon Mutai and Kericho County Assembly Speaker Patrick Mutai were named as respondents in the petition.

Justice Rika set March 13, 2026, as the mention date for the case.