Baringo MCAs in a spot over Sh7m ‘fake trip’ perks

Baringo county Assembly during a past session. Residents say divisions in the assembly hurting development in county. [File, Standard]

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has been called upon to investigate the County Assembly over claims MCAs pocketed allowances for a seminar not attend.

This emerged after 10 MCAs who were part of a team that travelled to Arusha, Tanzania for seminars sneaked back after four days, yet they had collected allowances for 10 days.

The 17 MCAs left for Arusha on May 25. However, 10 of them returned to the country on May 29. The assembly has 36 members.

More than Sh4 million

Each of the MCAs had been paid Sh368,205 per diem, costing the taxpayer more than Sh4 million, and a further Sh3 million for other contingencies during the trip.

After the matter was exposed by civil society groups, while other members of the public posted on social media, the 10 MCAs returned to Tanzania.

Residents now want “rampant corruption” at the county assembly tamed.

“We are calling on EACC and DCI to investigate these MCAs. This is corruption and must be dealt with decisively,” Isaiah Biwott, chairman of a group of local civil society groups, said yesterday.

He said time had come for residents and the civil society to rise against MCAs he accused of abdicating their legislative and oversight roles and were instead busy fighting and stealing or misusing public funds.

“We are seeing a cabal of individuals out to enrich themselves by using any crooked means at the expense of the welfare of the people who elected them,” Mr Biwott said.

Michael Kakugo, a resident, said the division among MCAs was threatening to paralyse the county assembly.

“The divisions are not caused by residents but the MCAs who are out to self-seek. In the end, they are benefiting while we suffer lack of development and poor legislation or lack of legislation altogether,” said Mr Kakugo.

House Speaker David Kerich yesterday told The Standard the MCAs who sneaked back before the end of the seminar had not sought his permission.

“None has sought my permission to return home. I cannot therefore comment on the matter,” he said.

The issue has further dented the image of the assembly, which only last week had a sex scandal. The assembly leadership has also been accused of nepotism and bribery during the impeachment of assembly clerk Joseph Koech.

Mr Koech’s impeachment came after the MCAs kicked out Finance and Economic Planning Chief Officer Jane Jepkorir.

Koech and Ms Jepkorir have gone to court to challenge their removal, even as the rift between groups of MCAs widens.

Last week a WhatsApp Group that had all the MCAs was shut and two separate ones formed.

Mr Kerich admitted that the division in the House was worsening.

“The House is highly divided and we have even seen leaked conversations of bitter exchanges between members on social media,” Kerich said.

The MCAs had unanimously approved Jepkorir to serve as the Chief Officer Finance and Economic Planning.

However, official documents showed that Jepkorir was in the list of nominees to the position, but was not among those shortlisted for interviews.

She was said to lack the relevant experience to hold the office. All these did not prevent her from taking the position as MCAs endorsed her after vetting.

The same MCAs who had endorsed her despite her alleged shortcomings united in pushing for her removal. They accused her of abdicating her duties, leading to delayed payment of contractors. She was also accused of causing huge roll-overs.

Governor Stanley Kiptis had declined to pick names of nominees for position of chief officers that had been provided by the Public Service Board and instead gave his own list.