Thursday, October 23, 2014 Staff ‘sleeping on the job’ shock Governor Evans Kidero

 

Nairobi County garbage trucks. Four brand new garbage trucks with the odometer reading only 500 kilometers were packed at the Nairobi County garage yard. Vehicles taken for repair at the garage in South B were unattended as the workers whiled away time. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP 

In Summary

• Vehicles taken for repair at the garage in South B were unattended as the workers whiled away time.
• Several vehicles, including four fire engines, lay in disrepair.
• The seven are among 36 trucks bought from Chinese company Foton but only 19 have been delivered.
• The vehicles have warranties and would not cost the county money to repair, beating logic why there are at the yard.

Nairobi County garage workers were Wednesday “sleeping on the job” when Governor Evans Kidero paid a surprise visit to the facility.

Vehicles taken for repair at the garage in South B were unattended as the workers whiled away time.

The facility is also in appalling condition.

Several vehicles, including four fire engines, lay in disrepair.

Four brand new garbage trucks with the odometer reading only 500 kilometers, are also packed at the yard.

Seven garbage trucks have been at the garage for the past week awaiting a local purchase order to be serviced.

The seven are among 36 trucks bought from Chinese company Foton but only 19 have been delivered.

The vehicles have warranties and would not cost the county money to repair, beating logic why there are at the yard.

The yard also has 10 ten-tonne mobile bins bought at a cost of Sh3.5 million.

GARBAGE BINS

The bins should be taken to informal settlements as garbage receptacles that can easily be transported to the Dandora dump site with special trucks.

“We have bought a number of vehicles but the inefficiencies by our staff as you can see is worrying.

"Why should a vehicle stay here for more than one day when it should be out there collecting garbage?” asked a visibly infuriated Dr Kidero.

He promised to take measures to ensure the bins were utilised to save the county the money used to buy them.

County Environment Executive Evans Ondieki said 22 drivers at the department had been served with warning letters over non-performance.

He stated that the 65 personnel attached to the engineering department were earning salary yet even minor maintenance took weeks.

“We are going to set up a work schedule where minor maintenance must be done in a day and major works will be given 3 days,” Mr Ondieki said.

'KANJO' MENTALITY

He stated that county workers needed to realign their mentality as most were stuck with the ‘Kanjo’ (City Council) mentality.

Nairobi County has a fleet of 422 vehicles and the Governor wants the garage refurbished to set up a fuel station and fabrication works to cut operation costs of seeking the services outside.

Employees at the Nairobi County garage were caught pants down yesterday when the Governor Dr Evans Kidero paid them a surprise visit.

Dr Kidero who rarely steps out of his office made a surprise tour of the county facility at South B estate where he found the garage yard at an appalling state.