Nyeri County Commissioner Josephat Biwott has warned heads of government departments that failure to attend national day celebrations could attract disciplinary action, saying participation in such events is mandatory for all public officers.
Speaking during a meeting of the National Government Development-County Implementation Coordination and Management Committee in Nyeri, Biwott said some civil servants had developed a tendency of skipping national celebrations and leaving attendance mainly to officers from disciplined services.
He said the trend undermined the importance of national events and directed all heads of departments, from county to sub county levels, to ensure they attend future celebrations without fail.
“All national holiday celebrations are mandatory for all heads of departments to attend from county to sub county levels. On the next holiday on June 1, I want to see all of us there. There is no discussion about it,” he said.
Biwott noted that poor attendance by senior government officers had become common despite the events being official state functions aimed at promoting patriotism, unity and public confidence in government institutions.
The commissioner lamented that some officers had normalized skipping important national functions, forcing security agencies and National Government Administrative Officers to shoulder the responsibility of representing the government during commemorations.
His remarks echoed sentiments made in October last year by Central Regional Commissioner Joshua Nkanatha, who also criticized absenteeism among government officials during national celebrations.
Addressing a regional implementation coordination and management committee meeting in Nyeri, Nkanatha said attendance at national holidays was not optional but a civic responsibility and a demonstration of support for the government of the day.
He expressed concern that many heads of departments were sending junior officers to represent them while others skipped the events altogether, leaving security agencies and National Government Administrative Officers as the main participants.
“Traditionally all heads of departments used to attend these celebrations without fail. Nowadays, the celebrations are mostly attended by security agencies and National Government Administrative Officers while some senior officers stay away,” said Nkanatha.
He warned that accounting officers in ministries and state departments regularly attended the events and challenged departmental heads unwilling to participate to relinquish their positions.
“If you do not want to attend the celebrations, relinquish your position as a head of department,” he challenged.
Biwott also called on heads of departments to take a leading role in promoting and implementing government projects within the county.
He said officers tasked with implementing government programmes should actively engage residents and ensure members of the public understood the purpose and benefits of ongoing and upcoming projects.
“We are in charge of policy formulation and implementation and the roles of the National Government Development-County Implementation Coordination and Management Committee are very clear. All of us are supposed to assist the government in implementing its mandate,” he said.
The commissioner further urged officers to help address the rising number of suicide cases reported in Nyeri County, describing the situation as alarming and worrying.
According to Biwott, the county records between 10 and 18 suicide deaths every month, with men accounting for the overwhelming majority of the victims.
“One of the challenges we are experiencing here is the high number of suicide cases. People are taking their lives at an alarming rate and it is our responsibility as heads of departments to ask ourselves what is really going on,” he said.
He noted that nearly 98 per cent of those dying through suicide in the county were men and called for coordinated interventions from all departments to reverse the trend before it worsens further.
Biwott said the growing crisis had become a major social concern in the county and linked it partly to increased abuse of illicit alcohol and narcotic drugs.
During last year’s Jamhuri Day celebrations, he warned that deaths caused by suicide had become a serious social threat requiring urgent intervention from government agencies, community leaders, religious organisations and health experts.
Stakeholders and mental health professionals in the county have continued to associate the increasing suicide cases with mental health challenges, economic hardships, family pressures and widespread substance abuse among vulnerable groups.
The commissioner urged all departments to work together in sensitizing residents on mental wellness, strengthening support systems for vulnerable members of the community and enhancing public awareness on the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse.
He further appealed to local administrators, religious leaders, teachers and community based organizations to collaborate closely in identifying people facing emotional distress and connecting them with counselling and professional support services before situations escalate into tragedies.
Biwott maintained that effective coordination among government agencies and community stakeholders would play a key role in addressing both development challenges and emerging social problems affecting residents across the county.
By Samuel Maina and Wangari Mwangi
