A Senate committee has started investigations into alleged graft at the West Kano Rice Irrigation Scheme in Kisumu county.
The probe follows a petition claiming massive embezzlement of the farmers’ money by the management of the scheme.
Petitioner Patrick Ochieng appeared before the Agriculture committee chaired by Kirinyaga Senator James Murango probing the claim on Tuesday.
He told the panel that the scheme has received millions of shillings from the government in the form of rehabilitation fund, economic stimulus package fund, farmers savings fund and rice sales funds.
“All these funds have been misappropriated, embezzled, stolen, pilfered, snaffled under the watch of the EACC Western regional office, Kisumu,” the petition said.
Ochieng claimed that their efforts to have the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission investigate the pilferage in the scheme had failed.
“The way EACC has handled the matter is causing unbearable social, economic, physical and emotional suffering to farmers and the project beneficiaries,” Ochieng added in his petition.
As such, the petitioners want the Senate committee to carry out thorough financial scrutiny of the scheme between 2007-2021 and an institutional audit of the scheme since its inception.
The petitioners also pleaded with the Murango-led committee to recommend a forensic audit of all the officials involved in the management of the scheme between 2007-2021.
They also want the committee to help set up a team of experts to identify and establish gaps in the current scheme management system.
“We call upon the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries to intervene to unlock the West Kano Irrigation scheme investigation process so as to bring the untouchable culprits to book,” Ochieng said.
The committee assured that it will get to the bottom of the claim to establish the truth and institute action against perpetrators.
“Anything affecting the farmers in this country is affecting food security. We will investigate all the issues affecting farmers not only in West Kano, but also in all other irrigations schemes,” Murango said.
The chairman disclosed that they will visit the scheme in Kisumu, speak to the management and farmers and summon EACC that has been accused of inaction to establish the truth.
