Faith Masita
The County Government of Kericho has been dealt a legal blow that leaves its top administrative office in limbo. An Employment and Labour Relations Court in Kericho on Thursday suspended the approval and appointment of a substantive County Secretary, after a resident successfully argued that the recruitment process was fatally flawed.
Justice James Rika ordered Governor Eric Mutai to stop the process dead in its tracks, blocking any appointment based on names already forwarded by the recruitment panel at least until the matter is fully heard in court.
The challenge was brought by Ngetich Kiplangat Gideon, a Kericho resident who blasted the panel’s constitution as unlawful. Gideon told the court that the panel wasn’t properly formed accusing one member of lacking genuine private-sector credentials after previously chairing the National Labour Board, another of failing to maintain good standing with the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya, and a third of being appointed without clearance from the Law Society of Kenya.
Governor Mutai, County Attorney Gideon Mutai, and County Assembly Speaker Patrick Mutai were named as respondents in the case. Justice Rika has set March 13, 2026 as the next mention date. For now, Kericho’s top bureaucratic seat remains vacant and its leadership in a holding pattern as a legal battle over recruitment rules plays out in court.
Justice James Rika ordered Governor Eric Mutai to stop the process dead in its tracks, blocking any appointment based on names already forwarded by the recruitment panel at least until the matter is fully heard in court.
The challenge was brought by Ngetich Kiplangat Gideon, a Kericho resident who blasted the panel’s constitution as unlawful. Gideon told the court that the panel wasn’t properly formed accusing one member of lacking genuine private-sector credentials after previously chairing the National Labour Board, another of failing to maintain good standing with the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya, and a third of being appointed without clearance from the Law Society of Kenya.
Governor Mutai, County Attorney Gideon Mutai, and County Assembly Speaker Patrick Mutai were named as respondents in the case. Justice Rika has set March 13, 2026 as the next mention date. For now, Kericho’s top bureaucratic seat remains vacant and its leadership in a holding pattern as a legal battle over recruitment rules plays out in court.
