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Kacc urged to probe Nyamira council

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Published on Tuesday, 24 May 2011 20:02

Civic leaders from Nyamira county council now want the ministry of local government and Kenya anti Corruption Commission to investigate spates of graft in the council. The councillors claim that the council has been deducting funds from their salaries which are not remitted to respective schemes.

Twenty three councillors have petitioned the ministry and Kacc to move in and investigate circumstances under which the money is retained and who has been misappropriating it.

They also claimed that the council went ahead to apply for a sh42m  loan from a commercial bank without seeking authority of the full council meeting.

Although the councilors are deducted monthly, for NHIF, and pension schemes Laptrust and Lapfund, the council is said to have failed to remit the same.

A case in hand was when Tombe ward councillor Samwel Mokweri was admitted at the Moi teaching and referral hospital in Eldoret in which his NHIF card could not be used to discharge him from hospital. It was realized that no amount of money was remitted in spite of  the council deducting sh320 from his payslip monthly.

The Star saw an attached payment statement for one of the councilors indicating the total amount of deduction for NHIF and Laptrust/Lapfund since 2008 to date. However, the same has not been remitted to the two funds for the last four years begging the question of who is withholding the monies.

When contacted for comment Nyamira town clerk James Aketch refused to confirm or deny whether the council has failed to remit the deductions. “I am sorry I can’t comment on that matter unless you personally avail yourself in my office or send a written inquiry by post,” Aketch said.

Former county council chairman, Alfayo Ngeresa, who is also among those affected accused the town clerk of colluding with some council staff to embezzle the funds. “We have petitioned the ministry and Kacc to reign in on graft which has afflicted the council for a long period,” Ngeresa told The Star in Nairobi after complaining to Kacc.

He alleged that even funds allocated for road maintenance have been done selectively to reward those councilors who are seen to ‘tow’ the line.