Corruption allegations divide Bungoma County Assembly

Bungoma County Assembly members in session on Wednesday after power paralyzing business on Tuesday afternoon due to black out and the break down of the Assembly generator. PHOTO: TITUS OTEBA/STANDARD

The battle in the county assembly pitting Jubilee and the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) members has been occasioned by corruption that surrounds tendering and procurement processes.

Kamukuywa MCA Moses Opicho wants the Public Service Board probed for inflating prices during the tendering and procurement process.

Mr Opicho, who had sponsored a motion for change in the assembly's leadership, claimed that the majority and minority leaders together with the speaker had swindled the assembly, after inflating the prices of renovations for the assembly and  a generator as exposed in an audit report by the auditor general.

The generator, bought at Sh3 million, has had mechanical problems leaving members unable to carry on with their house business whenever a blackout occurs.

Hide Truth

"What is going on at the assembly is that corruption has been unearthed and those who have been at the leadership of the assembly are fighting back in a bid to hide the truth," he said.

The initial budget for a perimeter wall had been budgeted at Sh19 million but it was later revised upwards to Sh27 million by the board, which had employed the services of a consultant.

However, in a turn of events Bungoma Senator Moses Wetang'ula, who is a CORD co-principal and Governor Ken Lusaka, who is also the New Ford Kenya party leader, have been mentioned for fuelling the infighting in the assembly.

Both Wetang'ula and Lusaka have denied these allegations. Efforts to get a comment from Speaker John Makali and Clerk John Mosongo were futile.