By Steve Mkawale

KENYA: Leaders in Nakuru County want the Government to stop the sale of Pyrethrum Board of Kenya (PBK) non-core assets worth Sh600 million.

Three MPs sought the intervention of the Head of Civil Service Francis Kimemia to stop the intended sale sanctioned by the High Court in Nakuru last week.

On Friday, Molo MP Jacob Macharia, his Bahati counterpart Kimani Ngunjiri and Njoro’s Joseph Kiuna said PBK should not sell the assets after receiving Sh200 million to settle debts amounting to Sh350 million.

“PBK has received Sh200 million from the Government since August 2010 to settle its debts amounting to Sh350 million. We need to know how that amount was spent before we allow the sale,” said Mr Macharia.

He said the board members were illegally in office since the last time farmers elected them was in October 2010. “PBK has not held elections since 2010, the directors and the chairman are illegally in office and have no mandate to carry out the sale,” said Mr Macharia.

Defunct

“The board no longer exists after the Pyrethrum Regulatory Authority was gazetted on January 14 and allowing a defunct body to dispose of the assets is a risky venture,” he said.

He also claimed some politicians were involved in the under-hand deals to acquire the houses and parcels of land.

Mr Ngunjiri said the call to stop the sale was informed by a directive from the Office of President that no State assets would be disposed of until a new Government assumes power.

The assets in question include 19 mansions in the posh Nakuru’s Milimani Estate, three residential houses within the town and workers’ estate in Kivumbini area.

The board also has acres of land and stores in various pyrethrum growing areas of the county.

Justice Anyara Emukule had dismissed the suits filed by a group of farmers, Retirement Benefits Authority (RBA) and a former employee.  The three had obtained temporary injunction in October last year after the board advertised an auction seeking to raise Sh300 million.

Justice Emukule ruled RBA was only a supervisory body without any control over the running of PBK.

In the another suit by Mr Samuel Kihiu and other farmers, Emukule noted even though farmers were stakeholders in the pyrethrum sector, the mandate to run the board lay firmly on the board of directors.