Kisii Governor Simba Arati unearths 861 ghost workers in ongoing purge

Kisii Governor Simba Arati has flagged 861 ghost workers from the county government in a purge across all departments as he intensifies the fight against corruption.

Speaking to Citizen TV on Saturday, Arati put on notice all county workers without papers to brace for tough times amid a looming overhaul in various departments in the county.

The tough-talking Governor confirmed various realignments of departmental heads after irregularities were detected, especially in the Human Resource and Treasury dockets.

“I have caught them pants down, I’m sure they can’t run, there is nowhere to hide. I’m told there are those contemplating to resign but they must account for the sins they have committed,” Arati said.

In what he says is massive looting of public funds orchestrated by junior employees, Arati promised to ensure all culprits face the full force of the law through the corridors of justice for abetting dubious dealings.

“If you know you have been earning, please come to my office and ask for amnesty and we will give you. If we discover you didn’t have the papers, you have lied, you must be taken to court and refund the money which was meant for development and you have pocketed,” he stated.

The county boss similarly invited the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) boss Twalib Mbarak to Kisii for a thorough audit, faulting some of his officers domiciled in the county for allegedly being part of the mess.

“I hope the officers of Twalib will help unearth the rot in Kisii. I am just a layman in the other areas of investigations and my deeds will end at the level of investigations when proper mechanisms are put to hold those capable to face the law. If EACC wants to fix the country, please, let it start with Kisii,” Arati stated.

He also promised residents that the new leadership shall act as an example to all the devolved units across the country as far as fighting graft is concerned.

Kisii County residents have had a mixed reaction to the new Governor's recent moves, with some lauding his actions as heroic while others saying they will soon hit a snag due to the infiltration of alleged cartels at various levels of governance.

“The MCAs-elect are so happy and are ready to help me move forward but there are two or more individuals…we must inflict pain on some people for the results to be realized. That is exactly what we will do,” he reassured.

On matters of relocation of his offices to Gusii stadium, Arati maintains that his decision was informed by an ongoing renovation of the county government's office which he said is being done by a well-wisher.

Next week, the Kisii County boss plans to focus on the Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital which acts as the nerve centre of the health department.