• Alfred Lagat is reported to have directed all procurement staffs not to divulge information to assembly committees.
• MCAs said he was the "face of impunity" in the Nandi county government.
Image: BARRY SALIL
Nandi county finance executive Alfred Lagat escaped impeachment for interfering with assembly oversight role after MCA’s differed in the assembly.
After a lenghty debate, only 5 MCAs supported a vote to have Lagat removal while 27 others rejected the motion.
A tension-filled assembly to issue with a memo Lagat had sent to all county departments instructing them against providing any financial expenditure information to MCAs.
An assembly ad hoc committee appointed to investigate graft in the county had been thrown into disarray after financial reports were concealed on Lagat's orders.
Ward reps Emmanuel Mengeech (Ol’Lessos), Osborn Komen (Terik), Teresa Maiyo (Nominated), Fred Kipkemboi (Kapsabet) and Paul Sanga (Kapchorua) supported the motion to have Lagat impeached.
Mengeech said the finance executive had disregarded summons to appear before various assembly committees to answer queries on his department.
“We summoned other executives and they appeared without problems, however, their shortcomings have all been blamed on Alfred Lagat who has disrespected our summons,” Mengeech said.
Tempers flared at the chambers when the representatives demanded that the recommendations on a report on health be amended to include a vote of no confidence in the finance boss.
The move split the assembly as MCAs claimed that the ad hoc committee had overstepped their mandate.
The chairman of the select committee on graft said they had powers from the constitution, the county government and the assembly standing orders in their oversight role which should not be curtailed.
Mengeech said the Nandi assembly had failed to live to the expectation of the electorate because a lot of information surrounding the financial expenditures had been concealed.
“No one either in ECD centres, Vocational training, health and other department was willing to give any information on how Nandi county government had utilised funds from the national Treasury,” Mengeech said.
Assembly speaker Joshua Kiptoo had to remind MCAs that they were the persons with the right to question how funds had been spent, quoting various sections of the law.
Leader of Majority, David Koech and Minority Leader Eliud Kirongo (Kapkangani, ANC) said the motion was driven by malice.
“Let’s exercise sobriety and address issues of corruption without drawing the finance executive into it as he’s not alone,” Kirongo said.
The debate went beyond normal hours and ended at 8pm on Tuesday night.
(edited by O. Owino)