Millions 'lost' in Kibwezi East CDF cash fraud

Millions of shillings in public funds may have been stolen in Kibwezi Constituency if records of projects funded by the development kitty is anything to go by.

Some projects were allocated double or triple the amount of money needed to implement them.

Still, records show the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) money was allocated to projects the national government had funded fully through other State departments.

Some residents have since written to the anti-corruption agency, asking it to investigate what is turning out to be high-level fraud.

During the 2015-2016 fiscal year for instance, three acres of land were purchased at a cost of Sh330,000 for Masongaleni Secondary School.

However, records of the NG-CDF show the land was bought at Sh1.65 million meaning the price may have been inflated.

The principal Joseph Matayo confirmed the previous owner of the land was paid Sh330,000. He, however, clarified the management of the school was not involved in negotiations and transactions between the NG-CDF board and the land owner.

“All we know is the owner agreed to sell the land at Sh330,000, that is the money he received. If there was other monies outside that, then we are not aware,” said Matayo.

In another case, a water dam in Masongaleni Ward ended up receiving three allocations from NG-CDF yet the project was funded by the Ministry of Environment in the 2014-2015 financial year.

The dam called Ulinzi in Masongalenu has a signpost indicating it is a national government project, implemented through Tana Athi Water Services Board. Shockingly, another sign post three kilometres away shows the project was funded by Kibwezi East NG-CDF and commissioned by area MP Jessica Mbalu.

In 2013-2014 year, the dam was allocated Sh3 million and another Sh2.9 million in 2014-2015 before receiving yet another Sh2.9 million in the 2015-2016 financial year.

NG-CDF manager Sheriff Bawazir Mohammed declined to comment “since I have already addressed it with EACC”.

In a letter dated March 20, 2017, to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, a resident Geoffrey Muindi claimed the area MP is the architect of mega corruption in the CDF kitty.