Services at a key office in the running of Homa Bay County Government have ground to a halt after its office was closed down due to nonpayment of rent.
Staff at the Human Resource Management and Development department who reported to work on Monday were told to wait for communication from their bosses to find out when they would get back to their offices to serve their colleagues from other departments.
The landlord, who is demanding Sh1.4 million, would not hear any of their pleas to wait for their bosses.
“We were asked to leave before the man locked the gate using a chain and a padlock. We called our boss to intervene but he had not arrived at the office by the time we were being locked out,” said an employee.
An agreement between the landlord and the county requires the rent to be paid quarterly.
The office is located in a residential area a few metres from the office of Governor Gladys Wanga. It was previously a family house before it was converted to an office. Besides it is the county Public Service Board and other offices of the county government.
County Executive Member for Devolution and Governance Mercy Osewe said rent at the office has not been paid for more than 30 months.
“The rent accumulated from the past administration. We have just inherited the burden that other people left before we came to office,” she said.
She told Nation that plans were under way to pay the bill and the Finance Department would address the stalemate.
County Finance Executive Solomon Obiero said the closure of the office is due to a dispute between the county government and the owner of the building.
Some employees from the office had moved to the county headquarters on Tuesday morning. Others who reported on Tuesday found the gate still closed and had to go back home and wait for directions from their seniors.
Part of the operations of the human resource department are being undertaken from the headquarters.
A worker from the department said they will soon move to the headquarters when Ms Wanga and other senior county officials shift to a new office block being put up at the Department of Health.
Closure of the office means activities such as hiring, dismissal and training of workers, as well as performance appraisal and control of the payroll, cannot take place effectively.
