“I want the public to know that I have some properties, but unfortunately, none of them is listed in the EACC report.”
NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 1 – Bomet County residents have petitioned the Senate over the alleged embezzlement of funds, financial impropriety and skewed employment by the County Government.
The petition by the residents presented through the County Senator Wilfred Lesan wants the upper House to investigate the issues and take appropriate action against their Governor Isaac Ruto.
“We, humble petitioners pray that the Senate conducts an audit into the questionable expenditures by the Bomet County Government – investigates the County Public Service Board for perpetuating recruitment exercises based on favouritism, nepotism and tribalism and makes recommendations aimed at protecting devolution and the taxpayer,” read part of their petition.
They also urged the Senate to ensure that after investigations and eventual determination of their plea, anyone found to have squandered county funds or having received monies irregularly should be surcharged.
“Public funds approved by the County Assembly during the 2013/14 financial year have been lost – Sh10 million for persons with disabilities, Sh61 million meant for the construction of County Assembly premises and Sh8 million meant for Mau forest evictees in Konoin Sub-County,” said the petition.
They also accused the County Governor of engaging in improper financial dealings with some 10 companies alleged to belong to his close relatives and proxies.
The companies include Tundo Company Ltd, Erickson Company Ltd, Mulot Sunset Hardware Ltd, Wesmic Company Ltd, Rumic company Ltd, Pulse care System Company Ltd, Zugu Company Ltd, Jubilee Africa Company Ltd, Maraba Company Ltd and Machii Company ltd.
They also expressed concerns over the consistent refusal by the Governor to honour summons to appear before the Senate Public Accounts and Investments committee to respond to audit queries saying all spirited attempts to reach out to the governor to coerce him to appear before the committee have been fruitless.
They implored the Senate to urgently address their issues as the level of misappropriation would bring activities at the county to a halt hence defeating the essence of devolution which was expected to transfer functions and resources to the people even in the remotest of areas.
At the moment, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission is investigating the allegations against Governor Ruto whose name was in a list of individuals including State officers being probed for graft and presented to parliament by the President last week.
In the same breath, the embattled Governor dismissed the allegations made against him as baseless.
“To claim that I own a chopper is a bad lie to the public. I can possibly not own a chopper, perhaps, one day I will own one or even a Dream liner.”
“Today, instead of owning a chopper, I would spend my money on oil fields in Turkana which will be beneficial to the locals and the nation as whole. The EACC has claimed that I own a house worth over Sh30 million in Nairobi. I have no idea where this said house is and I invite the Commission to show me where it is located,” said Ruto in a statement.
He insisted his woes were fueled by political rivals particularly since he has constantly criticized the Jubilee administration.
“Local MPs under instructions and sponsorship from the office of the Deputy President have been moving round the county making unsubstantiated allegations against me and even calling me names simply because I refused to dance to the music of their master,” added Ruto.
He warned his political detractors to watch their back stating that Kenyans were becoming more aware of the trend of politics adding that the Jubilee administration should keenly follow the events of the Nigerian election where the incumbent GoodLuck Jonathan lost to a former military leader Muhammadu Buhari.
“Jubilee should read the writing on the wall and be alive to the fact that what happened to JAP in Kajiado Central on March 16th 2015 awaits them in 2017. What happened to a rigid regime of President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday 28th March 2015 will happen to them in 2017,” said Ruto.
He vowed that he will not cower nor bow to pressure even as some leaders threatened to impeach him.
“I want the public to know that I have some properties, but unfortunately, none of them is listed in the EACC report. This is pure malice and a ploy to smear my name with mud for reasons only known to the orchestrators and sponsors of this smear campaign,” stated Ruto
He has maintained that he will not resign stating that he is not guilty.
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