Nandi Governor Stephen Sang has rubbished claims that his county is unable to pay more than Sh300 million owed to fuel suppliers.
Sang, however, confirmed that they had only fuel for the Health department, teams responding to Covid-19 and road emergencies.
“The deputy governor and I sometimes even fuel our official vehicles. These are the sacrifices we have to make to ensure we have fuel for the critical functions and services,” Sang told the Star.
He said the county had an account with fuel suppliers and cannot accumulate massive amounts such as the alleged Sh300 million in fuel.
“We consume as we pay for them. By the way, Sh300 million worth of fuel would be enough to cover our needs for about four years,” he said.
The county has been forced to ground most of its vehicles. Only the governor and his deputy's official cars and ambulances are fuelled by the county, with a 50-litre cap per week.
A photograph of one of the county vehicles being fueled at an illegal roadside dealership went viral recently, sparking off angry reactions from residents.
Two months ago, Sang said the county had been forced to cut down on its operations due to financial problems caused by delayed funding from the Treasury. “This was a measure to help reduce costs,” said Sang.
The county has pending bills exceeding Sh700 million and it is one of the regions that have been hit by tough conditions from Treasury over the huge debts.
More than 3,000 county workers have experienced salary delays every month. Last week, 50 casual and contract employees at the Kapsabet Referral Hospital were dismissed after they demanded three-month allowances arrears.
A section of MCAs has threatened protests over the sacking of the workers.
Unlike in Uasin Gishu and other neighbouring counties, Nandi has been unable to carry out sensitisation or active enforcement of Covid-19 control measures.
(edited by o. owino)
