By Dennis Gichuiri
The County Government Workers Union (COGWU) has strongly dismissed allegations linking its officials to the alleged siphoning of millions of shillings from county governments, terming the claims malicious, false and politically motivated.
In a press statement issued in Nairobi on Friday, the union’s General Secretary Roba Duba accused unnamed individuals of orchestrating a smear campaign against the union following a media report published on May 28, 2026.
The report, published by The Standard newspaper under the headline “How lawyers, union and insiders siphoned millions from counties,” cited a petition filed at the Milimani High Court alleging that union officials and lawyers colluded to defraud Bungoma, Nairobi and Marsabit counties through a proxy law firm syndicate.
However, COGWU denied the allegations, insisting the claims contained in Milimani High Court Constitutional Petition No. E283 of 2026 were fabricated and intended to tarnish the reputation of the union leadership.
According to the union, the petition was engineered by lawyer Benard Odero Okello, whom the union described as a former legal service provider whose contract had been terminated over alleged incompetence, negligence and unethical conduct.
The union further alleged that after losing the contract, Okello vowed revenge against the union leadership and the law firms that succeeded him.
COGWU claimed that disciplinary complaints had already been filed against the lawyer before the Law Society of Kenya and the Advocates Complaints Commission over alleged unethical conduct and fraudulent legal billing.
The union also alleged that the matter had attracted investigations by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations over claims of forgery linked to an alleged fictitious Ksh150 million fee agreement.
The statement further accused former Bungoma branch vice-chairperson Benard Barasa Wakwabubi of collaborating with the lawyer after allegedly losing a union election held in January this year.
On the controversial Ksh3 billion Bungoma County claim, the union clarified that the matter arose from a court case filed on behalf of 463 casual workers who were allegedly underpaid by the county government.
COGWU said the Employment and Labour Relations Court had, in May 2020, ordered Bungoma County to absorb the workers into permanent employment and pay salary arrears, which have since accumulated to over Ksh2 billion plus interest.
The union accused Bungoma County officials of defying the court order, adding that contempt proceedings had already been initiated against senior county officials.
“The Union will not apologize for aggressively pursuing the rights of workers. We will not be intimidated or derailed by retrogressive forces, corrupt county officials or disgraced legal practitioners,” said Duba.
The union urged members across the country to ignore what it termed as sensational reporting and remain focused on protecting workers’ rights and welfare.
