Kitui task force unearths fuel scam that costs county millions

The fraud was brought to the fore last Friday by the chairperson of Kitui county motor vehicles, plants and equipment assessment task force, Stephen Wambua.

The task force chairperson revealed the fuel scammers were still operating as late as last December when his committee that was actively carrying out investigations.

The County Assets Assessment and Evaluation task force was appointed by Governor Julius Malombe on November 11, 2022.

Wambua gave the example of vehicle registration number KBU 647T that was grounded at Tanathi yard 50 metres from the governor’s office since 2020.

He said it had a unique character of gulping gallons of both petrol and diesel even in its immobile state. 

“You realise this car is also peculiar because it consumes fuel even when it is parked and to make the matter worse, it has been drawing both petrol and diesel. This is very unique,” he said.

Wambua’s revelation were contained in an abridged report on his team’s findings.

He read it out to the governor, MCAs and top county officials before handing over the full report to Malombe at the ceremony held at the governor’s boardroom.

Wambua also revealed that an official vehicle attached to a deputy county commissioner in Kitui East also irregularly and curiously drew both diesel and petrol valued over Sh500,000 on the county government’s fuel account.

“This vehicle has been consuming fuel from the government for a long time and almost daily. The GKB 282H does not belong to the Kitui county [government] to begin with; it has consumed 3,820 litres of diesel worth Sh453 762,” he said.

He added that the vehicle also consumed 868 litres of petrol worth Sh133,000. “This can only happen in Kitui,” he said.

“Vehicles fuel while grounded. They were grounded for years and they are still consuming fuel. It is a long list; it amounts to a lot of money. If this trend continues for  long, then this county will be losing a lot of money,” Wambua said.

The committee boss said there was an interesting case in which a vehicle that was written off after an accident and an insurance company had taken possession of it, had consumed fuel and fitted with four brand new tyres.

“On September 4, 2020, a motor vehicle registration number KCA 860F was fuelled vide order number 826404 and was fitted with four tyres at Sh72,000 of the fuel account while it was involved in a road accident in 2016 at Kyoani along the Kitui Kibwezi road,” he said.

The chairperson also said his team established that Kitui county government had 320 vehicles whereas records showed it had 252 as indicated in the handing over report Malombe received as he assumed office last year.

He said his team found Kitui county government vehicles and machinery valued at millions of shillings dumped by the roadsides, market centres, people's farms and even police stations without follow up or any records.

The committee, he said, further established that a stand-by power generator stationed at the Kitui county headquarters had peculiar consumption of fuel, and although its capacity was 100 litres, it was often recorded to have consumed more than 200 litres at a go.

The committee chairperson indicated that even as his team carried out its probe, as late as last December the generator consumed excessive fuel even when the county offices did not experience power outage.

He pointed out that cumulatively, between July 2020 and November 2022, the stand-by generator had consumed fuel worth Sh3,057, 451. He said it was absurd since the county headquarters rarely experiences black-outs.

The chairman said it was his committee’s recommendation that any county government staff who was culpable and was involved in the fuel fraud should be surcharged for the lost public funds.

Wambua committee’s report was the third of damning task force reports presented to Malombe in less than a month. The first one was on pending bill which indicated Sh1.4 worth of pending bills we phony.

The other one was on human resource audit and rationalisation that indicated that Kitui County government had 935 ghost workers on its payroll.

Upon receiving Wambua’s team report, Malombe said formation of different committees was informed by the quest to establish truth and facts which are significant in ensuring informed decision.

"You cannot treat a patient without diagnosis. You must find the truth, device solutions and move forward,” the governor said.

Pledging to ensure the recommendations of the three committees would be fully implemented, the governor however clarified that it would not be a case of instant coffee.

He said due process would be observed before any action is taken by his administration on any county staff mentioned adversely in the reports.

Malombe vowed to ensure the county did not sink due to misdeeds of the past. He said his government will correct the areas pointed out in the reports and act on anyone found culpable.

 

 

 

 

 

-Edited by SKanyara