By Sammy Jakaa
Chaos rocked Teso County Council on Monday morning after angry residents blocked chief officers from entering their offices over alleged corruption.
The residents, who protested over alleged rampant corruption, locked the gates and main door of the council offices paralysing operations for the better part of the morning.
The residents were angered by revelations in a recent report by a taskforce set up to investigate graft allegations that Sh15 million meant for projects cannot be accounted for.
Led by the Teso County Council public officer Pascal Okiru, residents asked the acting Local Government Minister Fred Gumo to intervene and ensure the funds were recovered.
“We are asking the Permanent Secretary Karega Mutahi to immediately step in and eliminate graft within the council failure to which we will go on rampage,” they threatened.
The residents further demanded that the Council Clerk James Mugweru, Treasurer Nelson King’oro and Works Officer James Etyang be removed from the council.
Mr Mugweru, Mr King’oro and Mr Etyang declined to comment on the allegations when we contacted them.
They also vowed that they will not allow the three senior officers to access their offices and declared them ‘persona non grata’.
The residents further blamed the rot in the council on alleged indiscipline and absenteeism by the clerk and requested the Western Provincial Local Government Officer Patrick Malombe to immediately take action against him.
“The three senior officers should take responsibility for the mess at the council and step aside. It is so sad that the taxpayers’ money ends up in people’s pockets while the region is still lagging behind in development,” said Okiru.
GHOST PROJECTS
The five-member taskforce claimed that senior officers in the council were blocking them from tabling the report to the relevant committee to bar them from revealing the graft.
According to the report, most projects that have been funded by the council are either ghost or incomplete. The report further indicated that no single project in the current financial year has been tendered and most projects were given to one contractor.
The council was also accused of making project payments in cash contrary to laid down rules.
“Water projects in the council were paid up to Sh3,020,000 of which all was in cash,” the report read in part.
Nominated councillor Maurice Chetambe said most contractors blamed their shoddy work on the council officials claiming that they often ask for kickbacks hence limiting their working capital.
