Kitui assembly to probe office fire

The Monday morning fire at Kitui county offices may have been an inside job, MCAs said on Tuesday.

They resolved to probe the fire that destroyed the Kitui county finance records registry and the economic planning offices.

MCAs have set up an ad hoc committee to study the fire that only razed a department where financial records are kept. The 2pm fire consumed all payment vouchers and revenue collection receipts.

Majority leader Peter Kilonzo from Athi ward moved the motion on Tuesday. MCAs debated about the fire for the better part of the afternoon up to 5.30pm.

The session was moderated by speaker George Ndotto. It was seconded by the deputy speaker Emeritus Kasee Musya of Kisasi ward.

Kilonzo said the incident raises questions why it broke out in a week when EACC  detectives were planning to raid Kitui county to investigate questionable spending in the 2018-19 county budget.

He questioned why the Kitui county fire engine, which is stationed less 200 metres from the scene, was not deployed.

He said in the past, it had been deployed to drive away bees kilometres away in Lower Yatta and put out a forest fire in Kiongwe hills.

Kauwi MCA Jane Mutua said in February 2018 a fire razed the Kitui county offices, destroying among others employment documents.

Nguni MCA Jefferson Kiruru said heads must roll over this week’s fire. He said even at the Education ministry, where he previously served, teachers would be sacked and students jailed for having a hand in school fires.

The ad hoc assembly team was also mandated to analyse the damage caused by the fire.

The committee would also inquire if there was a back-up of the destroyed documents. Further, the committee would seek to establish if the county offices have complied with the Occupational Safety and Health Act, 2017.

The committee is expected to recommend that security masts and CCTV cameras be installed in all buildings housing county government offices.