Governor Mwadime under pressure as county vehicles break down

Taita Taveta County government  facing motor vehicles challenge.[File, Standard]

Several Taita Taveta County's motor vehicles are lying in a sorry state, either in garages or outside county government offices, due to a lack of funds to repair them.

County Public Service Board (CPSB) chairperson Dalton Mwaghogho said that most county workers were using their own vehicles or PSVs to discharge their duties.

He disclosed that those available vehicles have no fuel, and it has become difficult and expensive for the workers to effectively discharge their duties.

“Most county government vehicles are old, while others are defective and in garages. The few ones available have no fuel, and workers are using their own vehicles. Other counties have new vehicles, but we do not shine here in the county,” Mr Mwaghogho told  Governor Andrew Mwadime at his Mwatate town offices yesterday.

He said there is a need for the county administration to procure new vehicles to help improve the delivery of quality services.

The governor did not, however, respond to the concerns raised by the CPSB boss.

Yesterday, the  CPSB boss said the county has enough machinery, which is not in good use due to a lack of resources. “The board is among the county government departments without a vehicle, which is making our work very difficult,” Mwaghogho told the governor.

Sources told The Standard that most drivers are idle while others make technical appearances in their duty stations and leave. 

Of major concern are the three ambulances that were donated by a hospital in the United States two four years ago but are now grounded at the Moi County Referral Hospital in Voi town for lack of spare parts and maintenance.

A Non-Governmental Organisation from the US, Relief for Africa, facilitated the donation of the Ford left-hand drive 6000 cc fuel ambulances to each county administration.

It has emerged that the availability of spare parts for the ambulances and their maintenance and fuel costs have been a major challenge to the struggling county government.

According to health authorities, the fuel consumption for the ambulances is very high, and it is difficult to understand their operations. The authorities said the county received such a donation that is not sustainable for the county.

In the recent past, members of the county assembly in a house resolution authorised the executive to dispose of unserviceable and obsolete vehicles and equipment.

The MCAs noted that most of the equipment was purchased several years ago and has since become defective and prone to breakdown, while some were subjected to wrong use, lack of service and spare parts. Some cannot even be traced, the MCAs told assembly speaker Wisdom Mwamburi.

 “Some county government vehicles with minor defects which are lying in several garages have been vandalised and cannibalised. The county garage in Wundanyi town is also on the verge of collapse due to a lack of personnel and equipment.

The more the county continues keeping defective equipment, the more the value of the machinery will depreciate,” Peter Shambi, the House Deputy Minority Leader, told the House.

He warned that failure to explore the disposal mechanisms provided for in the law to dispose of the unserviceable vehicles and obsolete equipment, the county government shall continue incurring unjustified expenses on maintenance of the equipment.

“Now therefore, pursuant to the provisions of Section 163, 164, 165 and 166 of the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act, 2015, this house resolves that the county government considers disposing of unserviceable vehicles and obsolete equipment to save the administration from unnecessary expenditure or maintenance and repairs,” said Shambi’s motion, seen by The Standard.

Mahoo Ward representative Daniel Kimuyu said the machinery can be put to proper use. “Some of these defective machineries can be sold as scrap metals while others can be used by students and tutors at local vocational training centres (VTCs),” the MCA told the speaker.