Governor Mung'aro put staff colliding with rogue contractors on notice

Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung'aro. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

Kilifi governor Gideon Mung’aro has put on notice rogue county staff who he said were colluding with contractors to defraud the county in fake pending bills.

Speaking on Friday, the governor vowed to constitute a committee to scrutinise all pending bills before they are cleared for payment.

“You need to be vigilant. You know some contractors can raise bills, and they have not done any work. When you go to your office, check it.

"From January 1, either you show us you have done half of the project, or if you have put only sand and stones, that project does not exist according to me,” he said.

Mung'aro said county officers have been lenient with the contractors by issuing notices that are ignored.

“If a contractor is given work, he should report to the site within a certain period. If you do not do that, then there is no reason to call you for meetings. We cancel and re-advertise that tender,” he added.

Mung'aro also announced that a new committee to check on the pending bills will be constituted in January.

This is after a court pronouncement which ruled the previous committee was duplicating the mandate of the auditor general.

He also directed departments to stop funding events which do not add value to the county.  He said all events should be domiciled in his office.

“There is unnecessary expenditure in this county that does not warrant an allocation. You cannot tell me the development of this county is an event. That is one thing you need to scrap immediately unless it is very necessary. This business of people putting millions of shillings for events must stop forthwith. It is a waste of public funds and does not add value to this county,” he warned.

Further, Mung’aro has also promised to address health-related issues in the county, saying that the county will continue to invest in evidence-based planning to address long-standing health challenges.

“Kilifi is steadily becoming a centre for health research and innovation. We will work to strengthen our health system and ensure no one is left behind,” he said.

Mung’aro said the county has made steady steps in improving health infrastructure despite facing financing challenges.

“We have a debt of over Sh300 million which the Social Health Authority (SHA) is yet to pay us. The social health insurance fund is working for the patients, but on the side of financing we are suffering,” he said.