Meru Governor Munya puts corrupt county officials on notice

Meru County Governor Peter Munya has put corrupt county officials on notice saying action will be taken against anyone found culpable of engaging in questionable dealings.

In a post on his Twitter account, Munya said an internal audit is currently ongoing and anyone found guilty of fraud will be prosecuted.

Governor Munya’s statements come amid allegations of the procurement of curtains for the Meru Referral Hospital to the tune of Ksh7.8 million.

The reports raised public outcry on social media where Kenyans on Twitter, using the hashtag #MeruGeneralHospitalCurtains, raised transparency issues regarding the purchases.

The emerging allegations add up to the growing discontent among the public with county governments due to protracted corruption cases.

Barely a fortnight ago, Bungoma County Government was accused of procuring ten wheelbarrows at a cost of Sh109,000 each in what casts doubt on the transparency of county governments.

Bungoma Governor Ken Lusaka confirmed the purchase of the wheelbarrows but defended the price saying the wheelbarrows are not ordinary.

“The preliminary report indicates that the Ministry of Agriculture made a requisition and the committee recommended that the wheelbarrows be purchased at a cost of Ksh109,000 but the market price ranges between Ksh 78,000 to Ksh 112,320 while hooks cost Ksh 32,550,” he has said.

The Bungoma governor added that the wheelbarrows and hooks are unique and long lasting as they are made of aluminum.

Kirinyaga County Government has also been accused of paying Ksh2 million to open a Facebook page, allegations which county governor Joseph Ndathi has vehemently denied.

In his defence, Governor Ndathi said the county had a contract that included covering functions for the county government and the governor on various social media channels at a total cost of Ksh1.2 million.

Ndathi noted that the coverage included video, photography and social media updates.

He said the contract was entered into the transition period when the county had no ICT officers.

Members of county assembly have also been on the receiving end of public wrath for engaging in what is seen as unnecessary trips at the expense of public coffers.

Sixteen MCAs from Migori County are accused of spending Ksh5.8M travelling to Dubai to learn about waste disposal among other issues, while their Elgeyo Marakwet counterparts are accused of travelling to Congo for a brainstorming session on infrastructural development in the sports industry.

According to audit report for the 2013-2014 financial year, the Migori County Assembly spent over Sh8 million on foreign trips to Canada and Rwanda among other places.