The Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) has come under sharp criticism for alleged ethnic bias in hiring, after it emerged that two communities dominate jobs at the State corporation.
Appearing before the National Assembly Committee on Cohesion and Equal Opportunities, AFA Director General Bruno Linyiri struggled to explain the imbalance, citing the lack of a human resources manual. Legislators said the situation had left out other communities and disadvantaged special interest groups.
Nyeri Town MP Duncan Mathenge challenged Linyiri to account for the recruitment criteria, noting that the absence of a structured framework had encouraged irregularities. In response, Linyiri admitted that since AFA’s establishment in 2013, the authority has never had a human resource manual. He revealed that most staff were deployed rather than directly employed.
“The Authority has never had a human resource manual since inception. Our staff were only deployed. However, we received the necessary HR framework this year and plan to recruit while addressing irregularities flagged by the Auditor General,” Linyiri said.
Lawmakers also accused AFA of marginalising persons living with disabilities (PLWDs), claiming most were engaged as casuals. Kamukunji MP Yusuf Hassan dismissed AFA’s justification that lack of experience locked out PLWDs, terming it discriminatory.
“How will they gain experience if they are never given opportunities?” he asked.
Narok North MP Agnes Pareyio and Nakuru County MP Liza Chelule urged AFA to collaborate with legislators to identify qualified PLWDs in their constituencies, stressing that grassroots data is readily available.
Members of the committee faulted AFA’s leadership for using the lack of a manual as an excuse to sidestep the constitutional principles of inclusivity and equal opportunity. Mathenge directed the authority to ensure its upcoming recruitment reflects ethnic balance and fair representation of women, youth, and PLWDs.
