MCAs agree on policy to root out graft

The County Assembly has passed a motion seeking to put in place an anti-corruption strategy for all arms of the county government.

Moving the motion, nominated Member of the County Assembly Joseph King'ori said without such a strategy, the embezzlement of public funds would continue unabated.

"We have one government institution tasked with investigating corruption complaints. We need to prevent the vice and sensitise the public about the real cost of corruption," said Mr King'ori.

He said the strategy would play an active role in ensuring that the county government fully embraced Chapter Six of the Constitution that focuses on leadership and integrity.

King'ori also explained that the anti-corruption strategy would allow for independent non-government institutions to assess the level of corruption in the county.

BRIBING DOCTORS

"We have serious corruption in every aspect of the government. People cannot access healthcare without bribing doctors; the institutions charged with revenue collection are not transparent in their dealings and nepotism is rife in the employment of government employees," he said.

The motion was seconded by Public Accounts Committee chairman Baragu Mutahi, who noted that in the past two years, county executives could not account for Sh1.5 billion.

"It is a shame because corruption has made this county rotten to the core. A good example is the fact that Giagachika Polytechnic, which had 450 students in 2013, now has only 20 students remaining," said Mr Mutahi.

He said it was unfortunate that county executives had no legal advisors and continued to operate without legal counsel and no systems in place to ensure the law was followed.

Karatina Ward MCA Joel Gichuru cited the construction of a Sh3 million toilet in Karatina market as one example of corruption. He said the actual cost was Sh700,000.