Bomet Governor Hillary Barchok and 10 other senior county officials are now behind bars. The Employment and Labour Relations Court jailed them for 30 days on Thursday for disobeying court orders to reinstate 595 employees.
Justice Anne Mwaure found the governor, County Secretary Simon Langat, the head of the County Public Service Board, and eight others guilty of contempt. The full list includes County Secretary Mutai Chief, Finance Officer Milka Rono, County Public Service Board Chair Alexander Rono, CEC Board member Emily Chesang, retired Human Resource Manager Eric Rono, and five unnamed senior officials.
The 11 will serve their sentence at Nakuru GK Prisons. They can only walk free once they purge the contempt and reinstate the 595 employees whose contracts were illegally terminated by the county government.
“All contemnors (the 11) will be put in prison for one month, unless they settle all pending matters from 2024 before the case can be mentioned before court for directions,” the judge ruled.
The saga began in 2022, when the employees moved to Kericho Law Courts to challenge the termination of their employment. On February 29, 2024, the court ruled that the county had violated the workers' rights when it issued termination letters. The trial judge, Justice David Nderitu, ordered the county to reinstate the affected workers.
“The county should also transition the terms of service from contractual to permanent and pensionable and pay them accumulated salaries and allowances,” Justice Nderitu ruled then. The county was also barred from advertising, interviewing, or recruiting other candidates for the same positions.
Justice Nderitu had a strong message for county governments: “County governments and public institutions ought to disabuse themselves of the notion that each administration that takes the reins of power has to come with its own workforce and in the process terminate by all means, the subsisting workforce.”
The county government appealed, but the appellate court upheld the verdict. It ruled that the county had violated the law and the workers' rights. The court also barred the county from varying or interfering with the terms and conditions of employment for the aggrieved employees.
Court papers showed that the 595 workers were initially engaged on a two-year contract starting October 1, 2015. But they continued serving for five years with the knowledge and approval of the employer, earning full salary and allowances from the county government.
The Kenya County Workers Union filed a petition in 2024 on behalf of the sacked employees. The union accused the county government of defying court orders despite several attempts to follow up. The union also claimed that the county had gone ahead to advertise for the same positions, in total disregard of the court orders.
The 11 were found guilty of contempt in August 2025, but the ruling was delayed until March 2026. Judge Mwaure regretted that the delay in complying with court orders had subjected the workers to huge financial distress.
This isn't the first time a Kenyan governor has faced jail time for contempt. In 2021, then-Kisumu Governor Peter Anyang' Nyong'o was sentenced to six months for defying a court order to reinstate county staff. The trend shows that courts are getting tougher on county bosses who treat court orders like suggestions.
The 11 officials remain in Nakuru GK Prisons until they comply with the court orders. That means reinstating all 595 employees, transitioning their contracts to permanent and pensionable terms, and paying them all accumulated salaries and allowances. The judge will only consider their release once they prove compliance.
For the 595 workers, this ruling is a major victory after four years of legal battles. But they still have to wait for the county to actually comply before they can return to work and receive their back pay.