A court in Nakuru has sentenced Bomet Governor Hillary Barchok to one month in prison for contempt of court over failure to comply with orders amid a labour dispute that has been pending for months.

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County Secretary Simeon Mutai and nine other county officials were also sentenced alongside the governor.

The case arose from court proceedings in which the Employment and Labour Relations Court directed the Bomet County Government to reinstate 350 employees whose contracts were found to have been allegedly terminated unlawfully.

On Thursday, June 18, the officials were found guilty of disobeying the reinstatement directive, which was issued in March.

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The court has ordered that the eleven officials serve their sentence at Nakuru GK Prison until they demonstrate compliance with the reinstatement orders.

Reports on the sentencing have emerged amid conflicting reports circulating online, with some claims suggesting the governor had been arrested, while others stated he was continuing with his official responsibilities.

Kenyans.co.ke has since established that the governor was not arrested on Thursday as he reportedly engaged in official duties, including  inspections of three ongoing road projects in Nyangores Ward, Chepalungu Sub-County.

In addition, he announced the commencement of installation works for long-life milk and fresh pasteurised milk processing machines at the Chebunyo Dairies plant in Chebunyo Ward.

Further, the sentencing comes a day after the governor announced that he would be pursuing the Bomet County Senator seat under the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party in the 2027 General Elections.

This is not the first time the governor has faced court action, as he was arraigned before the Milimani Anti-Corruption Court in 2025 on multiple graft charges after surrendering to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) headquarters in Nairobi.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke