Dennis Onsarigo Resigns as Chief of Staff, Viral Letter Exposes Frustration in Nyamira County

Dennis Onsarigo has resigned from his role as the chief of staff in Nyamira County citing frustrations and hitches from Governor Amos Nyaribo's side. 

Speaking to Nairobileo, Onsarigo confirmed quitting the role and the authenticity of the resignation letter which has gone viral.

In a hard-hitting letter dated January 10, the former investigative journalist revealed that he had decided to step aside from the plum position after most of his concerns and proposals were ignored by the county.

Onsarigo, who served as Press Secretary in Raila Odinga's 2022 presidential campaign secretariat, indicated that he decided to quit the well-paying job for fear of being labelled incompetent yet nothing was working.

“It is with a heavy heart that I tender my resignation from the position of Chief of Staff office of the Governor Nyamira County. Serving in this capacity has been a privilege, and it is not without considerable introspection and disappointment that I make this decision,” Onsarigo wrote in the letter to the governor.

The journalist painted a grim picture of the situation in Nyamira indicating he had unsuccessfully tried to seek audience with Governor Nyaribo six times.

“I joined this administration with a genuine passion for public service and an unwavering belief in your vision for the great Nyamira County. However, over the course of my tenure, I have encountered what would best be described as a deliberate strategy that has imposed itself in the way of service delivery and impeded our ability to fully realize our vision,” Onsarigo said.

“As you may be aware, I made several attempts- more than six times- to seek an audience with you to discuss an elaborate plan on how best the office of the chief staff would function in the execution of your manifesto while supporting other departments in aligning their short and long plans largely drawing their strengths from the mother manifesto. Unfortunately, this did not materialize.”

Onsarigo cited an uncomfortable and embarrassing instance where the governor was forced to stop at a petrol station waiting for his official vehicle to be fuelled by an accounting officer who could not be reached on the phone.

He also mentioned instances where the governor's bodyguard would go for months without pay and also how the county was grappling with low toilet facilities.

Onsarigo noted that his plan to push for the revamping of the governor's residence was not actualised and further reported on the alleged entrenchment of graft in the county.

The investigative journalist further proposed for the recruitment of key personnel to help the county function efficiently but the governor did not implement them.

“It is difficult for me to adequately express my disappointment in not being able to contribute as significantly as I had hoped to in many other areas with an eye on improved service delivery and the upcoming 2027 elections. The positive changes we aspired to bring about in the office of the Governor would have to be implemented by someone else, unfortunately,” he added.

“Despite the dedication and hard work from our team, it has become clear that the obstacles we face are beyond my immediate control, and my continued presence in this role is regrettably not conducive to the progress we all desire. I expressed my fears to you not once but severally that it will get to a point where I will be viewed as incompetent not because of incompetence’s sake but a regime unwilling to accommodate new and bold ideas and one that is captive to a past riddled with self -engineered setbacks.”

Onsarigo previously worked at The Standard Group and Nation Media Group as an investigative journalist, best known for his investigative series Case Files.