SIAYA: A Siaya-based civil society group has demanded that Governor James Orengo dissolve the County Public Service Board following revelations of an employment scandal involving 382 health workers.

The Community Initiative Action Group Kenya (CIAG-K) said the affected workers, who have served in various health facilities for nine months without pay, were recently informed they were never officially part of the county workforce.

In a statement to media houses, CIAG-K described the saga as the second major scandal under Governor Orengo’s leadership and accused the administration of complicity.

“We demand immediate action from Governor James Orengo to dissolve the current Public Service Board and initiate legal proceedings against CEO Wilfred Nyagudi for both his role in this scandal and his violation of statutory service limits,” the statement read in part.

The lobby further called for a comprehensive staff audit and full compensation for the affected workers, some of whom claimed they paid up to Sh350,000 in bribes to secure employment.

“The continued inaction from Governor Orengo’s office in addressing this crisis can only be interpreted as tacit approval or complicity in these criminal activities. The failure to take decisive action against the perpetrators suggests that those who issued fake employment letters and defrauded residents acted as agents of his administration,” CIAG-K said.

The group demanded that the county regularise the status of the 382 workers, arguing that they had already served beyond six months in good faith and should be absorbed through “a substantive justice process.”

CIAG-K also appealed to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to intervene, saying the scandal had turned Siaya’s public service into “a criminal enterprise preying on vulnerable job seekers.”