By Reuben Olita -Busiaย
The County Government of Busia has sent all its revenue staff on a 30-day mandatory leave to allow for a comprehensive vetting exercise by the County Public Service Board (CPSB).
The unprecedented directive, issued on Wednesday, has left many officers uncertain about their next steps as the Christmas and New Year festivities approach.
In a memorandum dated December 10, 2025, Chief Officer for Revenue Timothy Odhiambo Odende said the move follows Executive Order No. 2 of 2025 issued by Governor Dr. Paul Otuoma, which established a new interdepartmental framework for managing the countyโs own-source revenue.
โThis decision is meant to ensure that our revenue administration is anchored in integrity, professionalism, and transparency,โ Odende stated.
He noted that the Department of Revenue will undertake a structured vetting and redeployment exercise for all revenue staff to strengthen accountability within the sector.
Transitional Arrangements
Mandatory leave: All revenue staff, except the director and deputy director, will proceed on 30-day leave to pave the way for a fair and transparent vetting process by the CPSB.
Interim support: Sub-county administrators will temporarily take over revenue functions under the oversight of the County Revenue Coordination Committee (CRCC), as provided for in Section 2 of the Executive Order.
Redeployment: Upon completion of the vetting, staff will be redeployed to various service departments in line with Section 3 of the Executive Order.
Trigger for the Shake-Up
Sources familiar with the matter said the decision was prompted by a sharp decline in revenue collection in the first quarter of the 2025/2026 financial year, with fears of possible sabotage, leakages, or deliberate non-collection.
โThe target for the 2025/2026 financial year is KSh700 million, but by November 2025, only KSh150 million had been collected against the projected KSh180 million for the first quarter,โ a source revealed. โFrom the total collection, KSh107 million is from Health, while only KSh43 million is from all other revenue streams.โ
The drastic underperformance triggered urgent accountability measures, culminating in the mass leave and the upcoming vetting process.
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