The County Government Workers Union (CGWU) has dismissed as “malicious and sensational” media reports alleging that it is involved in an elaborate scheme to siphon public funds from Bungoma, Nairobi and Marsabit counties.
Addressing a press conference on Friday, the union’s General Secretary Roba Duba and Assistant General Secretary Kevin Onyango termed the allegations false, fabricated and part of a calculated smear campaign targeting the union’s leadership
Duba claimed the allegations were orchestrated by a former employee whose contract was terminated over incompetence and professional misconduct.
“Following his termination, he vowed to exert revenge against the union, the General Secretary and independent law firms that replaced him,” Duba said.
“Having lost his principal corporate client and revenue stream, he has resorted to launching legal tantrums and abusing the judicial process,” he added.
The union leaders were responding to media reports based on a petition allegedly filed by the former employee claiming the existence of a proxy law firm syndicate designed to defraud three counties of billions of shillings through ghost workers and fraudulent legal claims.
One of the reports alleged that one county risked losing up to Sh3 billion through a ghost workers’ scheme allegedly linked to the union.
However, Duba dismissed the claims as baseless and politically motivated.
“We want to clarify the true context, malice and motivation behind this legal charade for the benefit of our members and the general public,” he said.
According to Duba, the former employee has allegedly teamed up with former union officials from the Bungoma branch in an attempt to discredit the union leadership.
“To execute his vendetta, the former employee has partnered with former union branch officials,” Duba said.
He further revealed that complaints had already been filed against the former employee before the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) and the Advocates Complaints Commission (ACC) on August 18, 2025 and October 14, 2025 respectively.
The complaints, he said, relate to alleged unethical conduct, including filing fraudulent bills of costs in a bid to unjustly enrich himself.
“This petition is a classic case of sour grapes by disgruntled individuals seeking personal relevance,” Duba stated.
The union leadership urged members across the country to ignore what it described as sensationalized reporting.
“We urge all members across the country to completely disregard the sensationalized media reporting and treat it with the absolute contempt it deserves,” Duba said.
“Our leadership remains intact, focused and legally fortified.”
Assistant General Secretary Kevin Onyango said the union would continue defending workers’ rights despite what he termed intimidation from retrogressive forces.
“The union will not apologise for aggressively pursuing the rights of workers. We will not be intimidated or derailed by retrogressive forces,” Onyango said.
The union maintained that all its dealings are lawful and transparent and vowed to pursue legal action against individuals spreading defamatory allegations.
