Kahiga questions night-time use of county vehicle

Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga. [Jane Mugambi, Standard]

Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga has raised questions over the alleged use of a county government vehicle outside official duties, claiming a driver attached to Deputy Governor David Kinaniri was  using the vehicle to ferry women around Nyeri town late at night.

Kahiga said he became suspicious after repeatedly seeing the vehicle operating in the town during hours when most official county activities had ended.

According to the governor, he personally followed the vehicle on one occasion after spotting it between 11pm and midnight.

He claimed the vehicle stopped near Wendo Coffee, where several women allegedly boarded before being driven to different destinations.

“Sometimes I want to see what is happening in town and am driving here at around saa tano, saa sita, I see my 19 CG,” Kahiga said, referring to the county vehicle.

“I follow it and see it stops at Wendo Coffee. People from Wendo come out, women are taken in, and they are driven around.”

The governor said the incident prompted him to question Kinaniri about the vehicle’s movements. Kahiga claimed the Deputy Governor told him he was unaware that the car was being used in that manner.

“Mimi nauliza DG, DG... ananiambia hata mimi sijui!” Kahiga said. He alleged that the driver subsequently dropped the passengers at different locations as he followed behind in his own vehicle.

The governor also raised concerns about the vehicle’s fuel consumption, saying he had initially attributed the increased expenditure to Kinaniri’s political activities.

“I was driving at around 11, 12 midnight hapo then naona gari yetu inadriviwa ikisimamishwa Wendo. Warembo wanatoka wanaingia, wengine wanaingizwa huko,” he said. “Nikauliza DG; yeye anasema hata hajui maneno hayo.”

Kahiga added: “Aliwabeba akaanza kwenda akiwadrop kila mtu; huyu hapa, mwingine pale. Mimi nafikiria mafuta mingi inatumika, DG akifanya campaigns kumbe ni warembo.”

The claims come amid renewed national attention on the management and use of government vehicles.

In August 2026, the Government announced the rollout of the Government Vehicle Management System (GVMS), a centralised digital platform designed to provide real-time oversight of official vehicles, including authorised drivers, fuel consumption, mileage and maintenance history.

The reforms also include plans to fit government vehicles with tracking devices and create a verified database covering vehicles across ministries, departments, agencies and county governments.

The Government said the measures are intended to strengthen accountability and address gaps including misuse of government vehicles and inadequate fuel and mileage records.