By Anchor Reporter

Chief Officer for Housing and Urban Development Collins Adipo has quit office, adding to the long list of Chief Officers resigning from the Wavinya Ndeti administration.

He follows in the steps of former Medical Services Chief Officer Dr Wycliffe Miyienda who resigned after he was moved to become Chief Officer Roads. He joins a long list of high profile officials who have bolted out of the 2 year old Wavinya administration. Four ministers have either quit or been dismissed without a reason being given: Dr Daniel Yumbya(Health), and a close friend of Wiper Leader Kalonzo Musyoka resigned. Joyce Mwikali(Devolved Units) quit after she was left out in a reshuffle while Philip Kilonzo(Agriculture) was dismissed. Sky Muasya was the first to ship out.

Chief Of Staff Lawrence Ngovi was dismissed and his position remains vacant. Other resignations include that of Dan Mule, the media personality who quit as Chief Officer- Communications.

Adipo, who was recently moved to the Industrialization docket in Wavinya’s latest reshuffle of government handed his resignation letter to the Governor yesterday and, like his predecessors, gave no reason for throwing in the towel. Sources say many of the chief officers are quitting because they feel that they are being sidelined in their roles where the governor’s office and Mr Kuyu override their decision on tender awards.

“Most of these people are professionals in their own right who also contributed collosal amounts to fund Wavinya’s campaigns. Two years down the line, they feel that they are being used as door mats by this administration with no hope for recovering their investment in the election of Wavinya”, said a top former official who is also in the streets after quit in the same circumstances.

Adipo, who had not yet taken over his new docket, reportedly told friends he was fed up with the confusion in government and felt it was a matter of when, not if, he would resign.

Before turning in his resignation, Adipo joined senior ministry staff at a farewell party for him. He did not tell his audience that he had a resignation letter in his pocket. No one knew it was his last supper at the County Government of Machakos.

Originally appointed as Finance Chief Officer in 2022, Adipo was moved after a difficult tenure marked by strained relations with Finance Minister Onesmus Kuyu.  Adipo got the finance job in Machakos, backed by his working experience at the National Treasury.

Officials are unhappy of toxic relations in the Finance Department where the Finance Minister Kuyu––also in charge of Government Communications Department––is untouchable and is seen as an alternate governor. Kuyu did not respond to our call to explain the goings on in the department.

Last week, key highlights of the toxicity in the department were revealed when Governor Wavinya was humiliated during a Senate Committee Hearing on Public Accounts. 

Among the questions Wavinya struggled to answer were why George Mutula, a junior officer (Job Group K) has been illegally acting as County Accountant- General for over one year all the while signing off key county accounts when he was deemed unqualified.

In Kenya’s public service, job groups are classifications that denote the hierarchy and pay scales of civil servants. These groups range from Job Group A, the lowest, to Job Group T, the highest, with each ascending letter representing increased seniority, responsibility, and compensation. For instance, Job Group T includes top-tier positions such as Permanent Secretaries. This structured system ensures clarity in roles and remuneration across the public sector.

The Anchor established that former Accountant- General Mr Mike Musyoki (Job Group R) is languishing in the Department of Agriculture after a fall out with Kuyu. Another officer- Dr. Ben Mwaluko(Job Group P) remains without a responsibility after Kuyu assigned Mr Mutula with overriding powers thus leading to the intense questioning at the Senate meeting.

Read also: World Bank Project Steeped in Grand Scandal

Nevertheless, Adipo’s tenure was marked by defiance of lawful orders, particularly in the case involving the tender GMC/KUSP/MKS MU /01/2023-2024, intended for the upgrade of wholesale and retail market loop roads in Machakos Municipality under the Kenya Urban Support Programme (KUSP) for 2023-2024.

Initially, the tender was won by Seluk Investment Limited in May last year, but Adipo declined to issue a Letter of Award. Seluk petitioned the Public Procurements Authority, which ruled in its favor. Following further escalation to the High Court, Justice Kayola Olel in Machakos issued a 9-point order restraining both Adipo and the County Government of Machakos, pending a full hearing. Despite this, Adipo defied the court’s orders and the very next day after the process officially closed on February 20, 2024, he issued a letter of award to Hayaty Enterprises Limited and Mashteck Limited. These firms, sharing the same Nairobi address and reportedly connected to Mr. Ali Guliye, have consistently secured tenders, particularly in sectors where Yunis Guliye is a chief officer.

More: Machakos Misses World Bank KES 2B

This happened as Machakos County continued to miss out on World Bank funds for two years running- first being 2022, the last year under former Governor Alfred Mutua and second in 2023, being the first year under current Governor Wavinya Ndeti. WB donates to Machakos County under the Kenya Urban Support Programme (KUSP) . The programme targets improvement of Urban roads to bitumen standards.