(9 January 2026 / Source: Corruption Investigation Foundation Bureau)
The conflict in the Committee for Veterinary Control and Supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture (CVC&S MA) has gone beyond ordinary official disagreements. The Head of the Human Resources and Organisational Work Department, also the committee's ethics officer, Alfiya Zhamkenova, has sent an appeal to Vice-Minister Amangaliy Berdalin requesting he take control of the situation and conduct an official investigation into the actions of the committee's Chairman, Kazbek Tashimov.
SELECTIVE DISCIPLINE
The FBRK editorial board has obtained Ms Zhamkenova's appeal, which centres on the issue of double standards. The Human Resources Department recorded violations of labour discipline using the access control system and drafted internal memos. However, disciplinary measures, it transpired, were applied selectively.
The Head of the Legal Support Department, Ms Seraliyeva, was late 18 times in October 2025 and 20 times in November. According to the author of the appeal, no disciplinary measures followed. Furthermore, an inspection by the Agency for Civil Service Affairs in September-November 2025 did not take these facts into account.
THE BONUS FUND AS A FLASHPOINT
Alfiya Zhamkenova points to the non-transparent distribution of incentive payments. It is reported that Ms Seraliyeva received a bonus of 1,052,046 tenge one month after returning from maternity leave. In April 2025, she was paid an additional bonus for work on statements of claim, which is part of her official duties.
Furthermore, the Legal Support Department received a larger bonus for Independence Day compared to other departments. Ms Seraliyeva was also paid a health benefit on 24 February 2025, two months after returning from maternity leave.
STRUCTURAL REFORM WITHOUT EXPLANATION
In September 2025, a new structure for the committee was approved. The Food Safety Department was abolished, and the departments for International Cooperation and Control of Border Posts were merged. The HR service was incorporated into the Legal Support Department, which, according to the author, contradicts the principle of its independence.
It is noted that the HR service developed job descriptions without the involvement of the relevant departments, violating the rules which state that descriptions should be developed by the structural unit itself. Furthermore, the holiday schedule for 2026 was submitted for approval three times, but was never actually signed off.
On 18 December 2025, Kazbek Tashimov ordered official investigations into five employees of the Human Resources Department. The author of the appeal considers this a violation of the rules for applying disciplinary sanctions.
A REPEATING SCENARIO
Alfiya Zhamkenova reminds us that in August 2025, the ethics council had already reviewed Mr Tashimov's actions and held him accountable for a disciplinary offence discrediting the civil service. In Ms Zhamkenova's opinion, this has not changed the chairman's management approach.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN IN PRACTICE?
This conflict extends far beyond personnel disagreements. The appeal demonstrates not merely the selective application of discipline, but a fundamental management crisis within an agency whose effectiveness directly impacts the development of livestock farming.
A situation where structural changes occur without legal justification, and the HR service loses its independence, indicates that the system is creaking at the seams.
Kazakhstan has set ambitious goals for developing livestock farming, but without a functioning veterinary service, these plans will remain nothing more than a declaration. Perhaps it would be worth examining China's experience, where some veterinary functions have been transferred to or duplicated in the market sector, creating competition and improving service quality?
Be that as it may, veterinary control requires not a targeted personnel reshuffle, but a radical reform of the management model. Otherwise, livestock farming will remain the weak link in the agricultural sector.
According to preliminary information, the Agency for Civil Service Affairs is investigating the stated facts. There are no official confirmations at this time.