Teso council officials burred from office

By Sammy Jakaa.

Chaos rocked Teso County Council on Monday morning after angry residents blocked chief officers from accessing 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 in the morning.

The residents were angered by revelations in a recent report by a Taskforce set up to investigate graft allegation that Sh15million 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 are recovered.

“We are asking the Permanent Secretary Karega Mutahi to immediately step in and eliminate graft within the council failure to which we would 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.

However the accussed declined to comment on the allegations.

They also vowed 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 as indiscipline and absenteeism by the clerk and requested the Western Provincial Local Government Officer Patrick Malombe to take action against him immediately.

“The three senior officers should take responsibility of the mess at the council and step aside. It is so sad that the taxpayers’ money end up into people’s pockets while the region is still lagging behind in development,” said Pascal Okiru.

The five member taskforce claimed that senior officers in the council are blocking them from tabling the report to the relevant committee so as 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 payment 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 that the most contractors blamed their shoddy work to the council officials claiming that they often ask for kickbacks hence limiting their working capital.

The taskforce report recommended that the procurement Oversight Authority takes action immediately and Kenya Anti-corruption Commission be invited to investigate the matter.

However, Angurai South ward Councillor Moses Ote condemned the action terming primitive and barbaric arguing that they should have tabled the matter to the finance committee for action to be taken.

He added that the taskforce should have pushed the clerk to hold a meeting where the treasurer would be made to account for the funds.

“I am not condoning corruption but we are past the age of locking doors. This can only be done by people who are small minded because we have channels to address such grievances,” said Ote.

Council chairman Romanos Orengo said he was not aware of the report by the Taskforce but assured wananchi that all allegations of graft would be investigated and action taken against the culprits.

Orengo claimed that the task force had not officially tabled the report to the council and that the officers opted to release it to the media first.

Ends.