- Tolgos claims some of those who stole dams cash are using it to fund politics
- He says dams would have greatly helped residents of Elgeyo Marakwet
Image: MATHEWS NDANYI
Elgeyo Marakwet Governor Alex Tolgos has said part of the money stolen in the Arror and Kimwarer dams scandal is used to bankroll politics in the Rift Valley.
He said some of those involved in the scandal were using the money to undermine him and for other activities in the region.
Speaking in Keiyo South on Saturday, Tolgos said some of those who stole the dam money were bragging on how they will use it to vie for top political seats come 2022.
“I can assure them that we will not have seats for suspects in the Arror and Kimwarer scandals. They have undermined what was to benefit our people and no one will elect them”, said Tolgos.
Construction of the two dams has stalled and top government officials including suspended Finance CS Henry Rotich and his PS Kamau Thugge along with senior managers at the Kerio Valley Development Authority have been charged over the scandal.
The county boss at the same time lashed out at Senator Kipchumba Murkomen accusing him of fueling the row between the county assembly and the executive leading to a budget crisis.
MCAs have rejected a request from the governor to allow reduction of the Sh566 million allocated to the assembly in order to help bridge a budget deficit of Sh200 million for development. Speaker Kiplagat Sabulei gazzetted the budget bill without approval of the governor.
Murkomen has supported the assembly action to gazette the bill in defiance of the governor and Tolgos now says the senator and speaker are part of a wider scheme to undermine him.
“They want to make it look like I am weak but I will stand with the people and won’t allow them to have their way”, Tolgos said.
Sabulei and Murkomen have however denied claims by the governor and instead accused him of failure to manage the county. “Its ironical that he failed to absorb Sh1 billion last year and then wants more to be allocated to the executive”, Sabulei said.
Tolgos has accused Murkomen of funding the speaker and the MCAs to undermine him.
He said the senator was defending some of the suspects involved in the Arror and Kimwarer dams scandal while at the same time claiming to fight for the rights of residents who would have benefitted from the dams.
Tolgos has invited the Senate and the CRA to help resolve the budget crisis but the stand taken by Murkomen to back the assembly will further fuel the crisis.
Tolgos has questioned why the assembly allocated itself Sh566 million for operations but only about Sh360 million was budgeted for development.