Do business with county at your own risk, warns Oparanya

Kakamega governor Wycliffe Oparanya

Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya has banned the county staff from doing business with the devolved unit.

According to Oparanya, any county employee engaging in any form of business with the county government will be summarily dismissed.

Oparanya was addressing the county executive members, chief officers and heads of departments at Golf Hotel Kakamega during a forum to strategise on how to increase own revenue collection.

“A directive is hereby issued to all employees of the county to with immediate effect to refrain themselves from doing any business with the county government or through a proxy. Such arrangements make the county to procure goods and services at inflated prices,” said Oparanya.

Oparanya said the war on corruption in the country is unstoppable and that he has decided to crack the whip starting with the county employees engaged in corrupt activities to serve as a deterrent to the rest.

“As a county staff, you will be required to declare your interest in any business your kinsman wants to do with the county government. The county staff and his or relative will be thoroughly scrutinised before the tender is awarded,” said Oparanya.

The ban comes just two weeks after the governor send on a 60-day compulsory leave all 143 revenue collection officers and replaced them with community administrators.

A senior county official said the decision to send the revenue officers on compulsory leave was arrived at after the governor discovered that a lot of money collected was ending up in individual pockets.