Embattled Narok Governor Samuel Tunai has been accused of embezzling public funds and resources amounting to billions of shillings since he took over office.
This is one of the allegations in a public petition in which the governor is blamed for the misappropriation of the county’s resources.
In a seven-page petition to the governor, the residents listed 10 areas they want Tunai to shed light on.
Among the issues they want interrogated are the Sh7.3 billion county budget for the 2013/2014 financial year, payment of county fees, alleged non-payment of park fees by businesses associated with the governor, alleged non-remittance of revenue by the Mara Conservancy, activities of the Kenya Airport Parking Services (Kaps), procurement of goods and services in the county, the Maasai Mara Community Development Fund and the Mara Conservancy.
Concerning the budget, the residents who have staged three major demonstrations in the past week, claimed public funds were paid to cowboy contractors for non-existent or incomplete murram roads.
Hired helicopter
They also alleged that a helicopter was hired for the governor three days a week, and that public health facilities, especially Narok General Hospital, were dilapidated.
“We are in the middle of the financial year 2014/2015, for which over Sh8 billion was budgeted and yet no single development has been successfully completed,” read the petition.
According to the petition, there are eight balloon safari businesses running in and around the Masai Mara Game Reserve but one, Skyship Balloon Safaris, does not pay landing fees to the county government.
They further alleged that park entry fees for clients of Kichwa Tembo Camps were received by Oloololo Game Ranch, which they associate with Governor Tunai.
According to their estimates covering a period of 10 years, the revenue allegedly received by the county between 2004 and 2014 amounts to Sh1.3 billion.
The residents argued that between March and December 2013, the portion of revenue expected by the county from the Mara Conservancy was Sh144.5 million, but the actual remittance as per the report of the Controller of Budgets was indicated as Sh18 million. They accused the conservancy of retaining more than Sh126 million.
“You as the governor deliberately ensured that the county government has no mechanisms of ascertaining how much Mara Conservancy and Kaps collect and remit to the county revenue account,” said the residents.
They said Kaps was only contracted to collect revenue in the great Masai Mara Game Reserve because of its previous association with the Trans-Mara County Council.
“It’s not in doubt that you were and still the principal player, in the collection of revenue at the Mara Triangle. By contracting Kaps to collect the revenue from the larger Maasai Mara, you are simply expanding the revenue collection empire to serve your personal interests,” the residents said.
They also alleged that no proper procurement process was followed in compliance with the Procurement and Disposal Act and due diligence conducted to eliminate issues of conflict of interest involving senior officials in the county.
In the petition that was handed over to the county secretary, Lenku Seki, on Monday, the residents said the procurement process in the county was flawed and deliberately tilted to favour the governor’s cronies.
Other issues listed for scrutiny include 12 vehicles said to have been budgeted for and procured without competitive bidding but never delivered.
Previously, the residents had submitted several petitions to the Auditor General and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, as well as a memorandum to President Uhuru Kenyatta on the matter.
