- MCAS claim the speaker is being used to shield the executive from investigations .
- Speaker Situma distanced himself from claims, saying house was closed indefinitely over Covid-19
Some Bungoma MCAs have vowed to impeach speaker Emmanuel Situma over a controversy surrounding the use of Sh6.5 million for Covid-19 response.
They claim Situma and assembly clerk John Mosongo colluded with the executive to disregard summonses of senior officers over the alleged loss.
The executive is accused of inflating the cost of items bought to fight the spread of coronavirus.
“Despite our efforts to write to them, they didn’t turn up as agreed. Members of the executive, our own speaker and the clerk did not come. We wanted to interrogate them on how money meant for the fight against covid was used,” MCA George Makari who chairs the health committee said.
Kibingei MCA Aggrey Mulongo said the speaker's position was electable and they had the right to kick him out if he colluded with the executive to sabotage their work.
“We will initiate an impeachment motion against him. He seems to be colluding with the executive to derail our oversight and representation work,” Mulongo said.
Speaker Situma, however, distanced himself from the claims, saying the house had closed indefinitely over Covid-19.
Speaking on phone, Situma said when he received the letter from the committee, he did what was expected of him and brought it to the attention of the clerk, who was supposed to act.
“I am not partisan. As we speak now, I am in the village after we closed down the house over Covid-19. I don’t control or micromanage the house committees,” he said.
He said he was waiting for the committee report to act, saying it was the clerk who was to facilitate the sitting of the committee.
Lwandanyi MCA Tony Barasa accused Governor Wycliffe Wangamati’s government of purchasing 20-litre plastic jerry cans at Sh10,000 each in an effort to fight Covid-19.
“This is a total theft of public resources. The information we have is that the containers go for Sh800 each but as a way of enriching themselves they increased the price exorbitantly,” Barasa said.
He called on Directorate of Public Prosecutions, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and other relevant agencies to move with speed and investigate the alleged theft of public resources in Bungoma.
Committee members arrived at the assembly on April 7 ready to interrogate some county officials who never turned up.
Even the assembly clerk, speaker and other officers never showed up. The MCAs claimed it was a clear sign of sabotage.
Assembly health committee members had summoned executive members including health CEC Anthony Walela and chief officer Patrick Wandilito shed light on the whereabouts of Sh6.9 million meant to create awareness on Covid-19.
Two weeks ago, a letter emerged by county acting finance chief officer Jonathan Namulala to health chief officer Wandili requesting him to allow them to borrow Sh6.9 million from Bungoma County Referral Hospital kitty and the rest from Webuye hospital.
The loan was given a clean bill and the cash withdrawn. However, its use has raised questions, with Governor Wangamati telling a local vernacular radio station saying the accused persons who might have been involved will face the music.
That was the reason MCAs summoned some members of the executive so that they could shed light on the suspected loss of public funds.
Others summoned were Bungoma and Webuye hospital board members, Bungoma medical superintendent David Wanikina and the accountant to explain how Sh11 million was withdrawn from the two medical facilities.
Last week, a video appeared on social media allegedly showing county special programmes director Carol Buyela dishing out money to some unidentified officials.
The kitty falls under her department as it is meant to deal with emergency response to Covid-19.
Buyela and other officers had distributed 600 plastic containers to markets and other public places in order to help fight the global pandemic.
Bungoma county secretary Joseph Wambati said they did not mean to demean the assembly health committee but were only observing the government directive of not congregating as a way of combating Covid-19.
Edited by Henry Makori