Governor hits at former county boss over 2019 donations found stuffed in home

Landslides that hit West Pokot in 2019. [File, Standard]

Governor Simon Kachapin has expressed shock after discovering items that were donated to landslide victims in 2019 still stored at the governor's residence in Kapenguria, West Pokot County.

The items that were meant to assist those in distress at Nyarkulian, Tamkal and Parua included clothing, water tanks and mattresses.

In 2019, residents of the three villages in West Pokot county were hit by floods and landslides.

Some 50 people lost their lives and property of unknown value was destroyed by the floods. Hundreds of residents were also displaced.

Donors and humanitarian organisations responded to the calamity by distributing food and material donations to those affected.

However, three years after the tragedy, some of the donations have not been delivered to the affected and have been lying at the governor's residence.

Governor Kachapin, who took journalists to the governor's residence on Thursday, displayed the remaining donations while expressing fears that some of them could have been stolen and diverted for other purposes.

"It was a shame for the former administration under governor John Lonyangapuo to act in such a manner.

"It is disheartening, appalling and despicable that even iron sheets were diverted. The items were labelled as belonging to landslides victims," he said.

The governor noted that diverting donations from people suffering after a calamity was unethical for a public servant.

"This shows how rotten the government we inherited was. It went so low to even hiding donations and budgetary allocations. We have seen more than 30 bundles of clothes," he said, adding that "I thank the Kenya Red Cross for working well. I remember I was a Chief Administrative Secretary in the ministry of energy and we donated Sh3 million to victims."

The Governor said the remaining items will be taken to residents who were affected by the landslides.

"I will discuss with MCAs and I have directed that the same be delivered to the displaced families, whose houses were also extensively damaged by the heavy rains and subsequent landslides," he said.