Bomet Governor Barchok, 10 county officials jailed for defying employees' reinstatement orders
The court directed that Governor Barchok, County Secretary Simeon Mutai and nine other county officials be committed to Nakuru GK Prison until they.
Bomet Governor Hillary Barchok (left) in the dock on September 2, 2025. (Photo: Carolyne Kubwa)
Bomet Governor Hillary Barchok and 10 senior county officials have been sentenced to one month in prison after the Employment and Labour Relations Court found them guilty of contempt for failing to comply with orders to reinstate 350 county employees whose contracts had been unlawfully terminated.
In a ruling delivered in Nakuru on Thursday, the court directed that Governor Barchok, County Secretary Simeon Mutai and nine other county officials be committed to Nakuru GK Prison until they demonstrate compliance with the reinstatement orders issued in March.
The court found that the county leadership had deliberately disobeyed its directive requiring the affected employees to return to work, despite the matter remaining unresolved for several months.
More To Read
“The respondents have failed to comply with the court's reinstatement orders and are therefore in contempt of court,” the judge ruled while imposing the custodial sentence.
The case stemmed from a labour dispute in which 350 county employees challenged the termination of their contracts. The court had earlier ordered the Bomet County Government to reinstate the workers pending the determination of the dispute, but the directive was not implemented.
The ruling now places the county's top leadership under pressure to comply with the orders or remain in custody.
The sentence was issued amid conflicting reports circulating on social media regarding the governor's whereabouts. While some claims suggested that Barchok had been arrested following the ruling, reports indicated that he continued carrying out official duties on Thursday.
Among his engagements were inspections of road construction projects in Nyangores Ward, Chepalungu Sub-County, and overseeing preparations for the installation of milk-processing equipment at the Chebunyo Dairies plant.
The court's decision comes barely a day after Barchok publicly declared his intention to contest the Bomet Senate seat on a United Democratic Alliance ticket in the 2027 General Election.
This is not the governor's first legal battle. In 2025, he appeared before the Milimani Anti-Corruption Court to answer charges of conflict of interest, acquisition of proceeds of crime and money laundering. He denied all the charges and was later released on a Sh5 million cash bail.