Kisumu County lavish spending on cars

By Evelyn Kwamboka And Dennis Onyango

Kisumu, Kenya: Kisumu County is set to purchase a fleet of Toyota Prados for the executive at a cost of Sh72 million.

In the county’s executive development expenditure estimates passed by the assembly’s Budget and Appropriations Committee, the money is to be allocated for the purchase of 12 vehicles.

Another Sh15 million is to be set aside for the operational of the posh vehicles in the budget that is to be tabled before the County Assembly for approval by members.

Currently, Kisumu Governor Jacktone Ranguma uses a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado V8 that was inherited from former area Mayor Samuel Okello.

The committee also reduced the purchase of two Land Rovers in the Kisumu Central development’s proposal from Sh14 million to Sh7 million. This means only one will be purchased if the County Assembly approves.

They also reduced the budgetary provision of Sh10.3 million on the executive’s commuter allowance to Sh5.1 million.

In a report on the estimates obtained by The Standard, Sh10 million is to go to the renovation of the governor’s residential house. He is alleged to be living in a hotel within the town, where a VIP room goes for Sh12,000 per night.

Under the executive’s budget, the committee recommended the approval of Sh200 million for acquisition of land and an additional of Sh35 million for the construction of ward offices.

The ward offices are to be occupied by County Ward Representatives, bringing the total of the executive’s development budget to Sh332 million that is to be paid by the taxpayer.

The eight member committee also rejected the county executives decision to put Sh100 million for the eradication of hyacinth weed from Lake Victoria.

The committee members are Mr Wilis Mindeu (Chair), James Were, Samuel Ong’ou, Edwin Anayo, Isaya Onyango, Caroline Owen, James Diang’a and Petronila Omondi.

The team also demanded for an explanation as to why in the proposed budget, the executive had allocated Sh6 million for the construction of youth polytechnics.