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‘We Are Still In Ethnic Enclaves,’ NCIC Commissioner Makori Says On Dominance Of 10 Tribes In County Jobs
By Moses Muli
The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) Commissioner Danvas Makori has emphasized the need to address the concentration of County Government jobs within 10 tribes, comprising 80 per cent of jobs across Kenya’s 47 counties.
Makori expressed concern that the country seems to be reverting to ethnic divisions, as highlighted in the recently launched second edition of the Ethnic and Diversity Audit of the County Public Service.
“This report shows that we are still ethnic enclaves. We have regions whereby they were not invested in. In counties where we have ethnic groups, we have minorities marginalized in terms of development where they don’t feel part of it and it fuels conflict for a large part,” Makori said.
“This report shows that loyalty is first to the ethnic group and then to the country; but you cannot operate that way,” Makori said.
“We had an opportunity to fix that malady as a nation, which unfortunately wasn’t the case because the few that took power shared resources amongst themselves. We inherited it and amplified it as a Government,” he added.
Bomet Senator Hillary Sigei echoed similar concerns, pointing out that the imbalance in resource distribution affects the performance of county offices.
“When you look at the statistics from this report, we have miserably failed, that one I must admit. In Bomet County, the office converses in the local dialect. The office thinks along the same line because we come from the same environment and that entirely affects performance,” he noted.
He stressed that compliance with the law is more about leadership than a lack of legislation.
“It is not lack of legislation or policy; those are in place. It’s all about the leadership,” Sigei said
Marsabit Governor Mohamud Ali, whose county stood out as compliant, attributed past conflicts to resource-related issues. He highlighted the importance of aligning county institutions with the law and the constitution to promote fair representation.
“For us to come out of that, we had to seriously discuss and lay down programs and policies so that we face head on that discomfort within the county,” he said.
The audit report by the NCIC revealed that only 13 out of 47 counties complied with the national recruitment policy, marking a decline from 21 counties in 2016.
Kalenjins and Kikuyus led in employment rates, while Marsabit County demonstrated compliance, particularly with the dominant Borana tribe representing 33.41 per cent of job enrolments.
Nairobi County was ranked as the most diverse, hosting 38 ethnic communities, while West Pokot County was placed as the worst regressed county with a negative 42.35 per cent decline in diversity.
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