County Buys Dogs Over Insecurity

While reacting to claims of illegality and misuse of funds in the controversial purchase of the police trekker dogs and their feeding cost, the Governor described it as cheap politics being roumoured around by his political detractors.

Irungu further claims that the media reports were orchestrated by some individuals out to tarnish his name adding that the procurement of the dogs was reached after a security issues were raised adding that the matter was blown out of context.

The Governor says the purchase of the four German Shepherd dogs by the county government was to help beef up security in the cattle rustling-prone region adding that more vehicles will also be procured to enable the security agents address security concerns in the county.

According to the County Chief Officer in charge of Accounts, Administration and Public Management Mrs. Veronica Gakenga, the issues at hand were disheartening and called on leaders to discuss the matter with sobriety.

 

MONEY MATTERS

Gakenga confirmed that the four dogs were bought at Ksh 720, 000 but the issue of their feeding was not as much as being claimed by a section of leaders.

Gakenge noted that the security dogs had spent about Ksh 231,000 between February of and December last year adding that the county was still expecting invoice for the months of January to March of this year which is expected to amount Ksh 315,000 if the accounts are well balanced.

The chief officer added that the dogs are due to be handed over to the Laikipia Security team next week and called on residents in the region to remain patient as they await their delivery.

The issues of the controversial security dogs came into public last week at the County Assembly after Members raised concerns over the fate of four German Shepherd dogs that were purchased by the county government.

Assembly members said the dogs had taken too long to be brought back to the county from Nakuru, where they were being trained, with Security Committee Chairman Dann Ndegwa saying the county government had failed to raise money to transport them back.

The dogs were being trained at the Rift Valley Police Dogs Unit in Nakuru and were expected to graduate in November last year.

The committee heard that the dogs, named Techno, Twitter, Mobi and Shelby were purchased for Ksh 720,000 and have so far cost the county Ksh 2 million. Members were enraged to learn that the county was spending Ksh 100,000 every month to feed them at a time when thousands of county residents are faced with starvation due to a famine that has hit the area.

 

By Wangui Ngechu

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Citizen TV security citizentv citizen citizen news citizennews funds laikipia misappropriation Laikipia County Governor German shepherds Securitty Committtee

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