Friday, September 26,
2025 - The Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) is facing intense scrutiny
from lawmakers over alleged ethnic favoritism in its hiring practices, with two
communities reportedly dominating its workforce at 94% and 84% respectively.
Appearing before the National Assembly Committee on Cohesion
and Equal Opportunities, AFA Director General Bruno Linyiri admitted that the
authority has operated without a human resource manual since its establishment
in 2013.
“Our staff were only deployed. We have not employed
directly.”
“However, we received the necessary HR framework this year
and plan to recruit while addressing irregularities flagged by the Auditor
General,” he said.
Committee Chair Hon. Duncan Mathenge (Nyeri Town) condemned
the imbalance, stating, “This is unacceptable. AFA does not reflect the face of
Kenya.”
Lawmakers also accused AFA of marginalizing persons living
with disabilities (PLWDs), with Kamkunji MP, Yusuf Hassan, questioning why most
were hired as casuals.
“Your argument that lack of experience locks out PLWDs is
discriminatory.”
“How will they gain experience if they are never given
opportunities?” he posed.
Narok North MP, Agnes Pareyio, and Nakuru County MP, Liza
Chelule, urged AFA to collaborate with MPs to identify qualified PLWDs, noting
that grassroots data is readily available.
MPs criticized the absence of a human resource manual,
saying it enabled circumvention of employment laws.
Mathenge directed AFA to ensure its upcoming recruitment
exercise promotes ethnic balance and fair representation of women, youth and
PLWDs.
The Kenyan DAILY POST
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