Drama as Sacco members demand for money

There was drama at the Busia Agricultural Training Centre on Saturday after members of a Sacco owned by assembly employees demanding for their money.

Agitated members claimed that a whooping Sh24 million they had contributed to the Sacco for over four years could not be traced.

The meeting was later cut short after rowdy youths stormed the venue to eject officials suspected to have embezzled the money.

Members had to put in care taker office of five members to spearhead investigation into alleged misappropriation of funds.

James Lonyoni who is also the Sergeant at Arms in the assembly said members were being issued with bouncing cheques whenever they demanded their money.

He further accused the officials of not holding any meeting to tell members how the Sacco was performing since its inception in 2013.

“What we want is our money and the new office we are going to leave no stone unturned until we get to know the whereabouts of our money,” said Lonyoni.

An official who was ejected out while speaking to the Sunday Standard after the meeting said senior officials in the assembly are the ones who borrowed money and were yet to return.

“Some of the individuals who have been appointed as interim officials are the one owing the Sacco millions of money and they have refused to return for the last two years,” said the official.

“We are going to spill the beans once investigation starts so that truth can be known and that will also clean our names that we embezzled the funds,” he added.

Daniel Ote who was ejected as chairman of the Sacco allayed fear of misappropriation of funds. He said their count could not be audited last year due to bad political environment.  

It also emerged some of the members of the previous assembly borrowed money but lost in the last year poll and were yet to start serving the loan. Chakol Arthur said they will not the suspects to go scot free.

Efforts by the Commissioner of Cooperatives in the county Joel Haba to calm down members bore no fruits as they insisted that they must get their money. The auditor of the Sacco Mr Mburu said he had not been books of the Sacco for scrutiny.

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