New revenue structure as Kuyu purges officials

By Martin Masai 

The fate of top 10 revenue officers hangs in the balance after a second purge in the department by Finance Minister Onesmas Muia Kuyu.

        Ms. Zipporah Mutunga

Mr Kuyu (C) at the handing over event in his office on Tuesday 

In the first purge in February, Kuyu instituted a mass transfer of revenue officers as he deployed over 400 newly recruited ones in a move that embarrassed the department after the top brass found themselves with transfers letters to markets.

In the current purge, 9 senior revenue officers who served as Subcounty Revenue Officers ((SROs) and their director David Kakonzi are awaiting deployment as most of them complete nearly 2 months at home. Mr Kakonzi was replaced by Mr. William Otieno as Director of Revenue.

Kuyu has also created a new revenue structure where Ward Revenue Officers report, for the first time, to Ward Administrators and through to Sub County Administrators.

 Even then, The Anchor has been informed that these sets off officials are supervised by  Cordinators who are yet to appear within the county establishment, meaning that county revenue could be managed under a political framework. The coordinators are Governor Wavinya's foot soldiers who wield powers in the County.

The purge was ordered by Mr Kuyu and first executed by Mr Kakonzi. A letter seen by The Anchor that was copied to the 9 officials ordered them to report to then Revenue Chief Officer  Jace Senga the next morning. 

After they reported, they were guided to take their outstanding leave days to avoid occupying the parking yard of the County Headquarters where they kept idlying. " They took 20, 30 to 60 days, and the leaves are ending on May 28,2024" said a source at the revenue office yesterday. The expiry of the leave days now puts pressure on the department to make a decision on where to place them. 

When reached for comment, Mr Kuyu distanced himself from their recall, saying that his responsibility over the department  only revolves around policy issues. However, The Anchor established that Kuyu is the architect of the purge. Apart from posting directives on a wall with colleagues, the minister bragged at a meeting in Matuu " I have not only removed the thieves but indeed cut down the big tree", a reference he makes about Mr Senga, who was recently removed to become Chief Officer- Public Engagement.

Observers see the deployment of Senga as a mockery of a chief officer who shared his office with two other officials because he regarded  his work as public engagement. 

As he distanced himself from the predicament of the SROs, Kuyu referred The Anchor to Mr Senga, who handed over the docket to new Revenue Chief Officer-Ms Zipporah Mutunga on Tuesday,May 21, 2024.

Remove kiosks, county orders Wangondi

By Martin Masai

 Majority Leader Nicholas Wangondi is in the middle of a storm as works on a World Bank project come under threat.

Mr Nzioka

The threat is posed by  structures on a road reserve that stand on the way of the project. The County Government of Machakos, in notices sent to Wangondi, alleges that the  temporary kiosks belong to him. The notice was issued on June 28,2024, giving the Majority Leader 7 days to execute the order to remove the illegal structures that encroach on the road reserve opposite the KFA, Machakos Branch.

The structure entails about 10 steel cubicles built on one line that have been rented to various business people. On the back of the structures is a property belonging to the Kenya Postal Corporation that has been rented out to local traders. Kenya Postal Corporation has also demanded that the same structures be removed in a strange twist of events.The notice to Wangondi was authorized by Mr.  Evans Lumumba and was received by one Racheal Muasya, according to Inspectorate documents. She is believed to be a member of staff in Wangondi's office. The notice is addressed to Mr Nicholas Nzioka.

The county authorities had informed the Majority Leader that if  he will not have removed the structures at the expiry of the notice period, they would do it themselves. As we went to press, the structures still stand with the tenants going on with their business even as a deep trench cuts through the front of the stalls.

County officials have kept aloof over the matter. The Chief Officer Enforcement Mr Munyambu, on being asked when he would enforce the notice has never picked calls from The Anchor, underlining his determination to keep off the way where the Majority Leader is named.

Other county sources, refusing to be named since they avoid any confrontation with Mr Wangondi said the county was following due process before pouncing to remove the property.

When The Anchor contacted Wangondi to ask when he will comply with the removal order, he distanced himself from being the owner of the structures. He added that even if the county authorities pulled them down, he would suffer no loss because the structure was not his. He said the county should embark on an investigation to discover to whom they belong.

The project is World Bank funded and has been dodged in controversy since  Governor Wavinya Ndeti was elected, with officials eying the Kes 89m they found in the account. Due to the delay, WB has not  send Kes 1b it ought to disburse to support municipalities in Machakos County.

The stalemate has existed since the dying days of the of the government of Governor Alfred  Mutua. It is reported that Mutua wanted the funds used for construction of an air strip at the still born New Machakos City. But the Machakos Municipal Board chaired by Mr. Malcom Kateta resisted and Mutua ran out of time. 

The board, whose tenure is soon coming to an end, is fighting for autonomy to be able to run its programmes without interference from central or the County government but it has practically remained captive of high drama that informs well lined purses within the county. 

Matters have not improved after the arrival of Governor Ndeti.Since May  2023 when bids were floated for construction of the road by use of cabro, the tender has award has been rocked by court processes due to competing interests. 

Pressure has come to bare after the World Bank gave an ultimatum to recall the Kes 89m and pull out of funding the needy Municipalities of Machakos County. 

WB donates Kes 1b annually to Machakos County under the Kenya Urban Transport Improvement Programme(KUTIP) to be shared between Machakos,Mavoko and Tala / Kangundo urban areas.

The programme targets improvement of Urban roads to bitumen standards to make the Municipalities dust free and boost standards of living.

Designated PCSB boss quizzed

CPSB Commissioners face EACC

By Ian Ngali

Ms. Juliana  Ndunge Mutisya has recorded her statement over the illegal payments paid to members of the Machakos County Public Service Board. 

Juliana, who is about to be appointed to serve the board as secretary, was quizzed for hours at the Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission regional offices in Machakos. She was approved for appointment by the County Assembly of Machakos even as the oversight authority knew she had outstanding issues that made her unfit to occupy the office. 

Investigators first reached out to Juliana through the County Secretary  Dr. Muya Ndambuki but had to do it directly when they were informed that she had resigned from her position to comply with a requirement to qualify for the position of secretary. Other CPSB members were summoned through the office of the County Secretary.

She could not however escape the dragnet because records show that she, along with other members of the board earned illegal allowances by purporting to attend the Devolution Conference held in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County between August 15-19, 2023.

Juliana was irregularly transferred to the board as  the Deputy Director Administration by Dr. Ndambuki effective  June 27,2023. The same day, CPSB Chairman Mr. Albanas Mutisya,  appointed her to act as Board Secretary for six months and ordered her to be paid an Acting Allowance at 20 percent of her substantive salary. She continued to act in that capacity for over 1 year until July 2024, when she quit to prepare to appear before the County Assembly Committee on Appointments for vetting.

Juliana has been placed at the centre of the investigation on the illegal allowances. A letter  seen by The Anchor says..." The same was facilitated by the Ag Secretary, Juliana Ndunge Mutisya with full prior knowledge that there was no intention of attending the function except for the Head of Secretariat Mr. Paul Kivinda Muisyo who dutifully attended" The letter, dated July 7,2024 wanted action to recover the money from the officials. 

Those alleged to have been paid are Mr. Albanas  Mutisya( Kes 122,000), Ms. Mutisya(Kes 108,000), Head of Secretariat Mr. Muisyo (Kes 108,000) and Board Members Frankiln Makola, John Kimeu Kumbu and Ms. Marleen Misco Mwanika( Kes. 108,000) each. Mr. Makola first raised the matter and asked that the money sent to his account be recovered since he did not travel to the conference. It remains unrecovered to this day.

Our sources say the investigations are also targeting the Finance Chief Officer Mr. Bernard Kasanga and the  Chief Officer- Office of the Governor Mr. Charles Mutinda- seeking to know the actions they took to recover the illegal allowances.

Those who pocketed the allowances admit they did not travel to the devolution conference but had used the money  between August 13-21 2023, upon authorization by Mr. Mutinda. They claimed to have attended a ceremony to renew contracts for roughly 230  county staff who joined service during the Covid 19 pandemic. The staff are spread across the entire county and there is no way they would have congregated at a far corner of the county for renewal of contracts. EACC is also pursuing a cover-up plan that was hatched to deflect the investigations.

Mr. Mutinda allegedly wrote the letter they are clinging on on September 18,2023, long after the money was taken. It is believed that the alleged letter was aimed at stalling a recovery of the cash from the salaries of those involved. 

The cover-up story is not helped by the fact that  Mr. Mutinda reported to Office of The Governor on September 20,2023. Investigators want to find out how he wrote the letter days before he was appointed to his current office. When The Anchor contacted Mr. Mutinda, he could not recall the exact dates of the alleged letter and hos reporting but indicated he would be willing to clarify any action he may have taken over the matter.

The event is alleged to have taken place at Masinga Sky Lodge and there is no evidence that such an event took place. If it had happened, the county would also have paid allowances for secretariat staff, including drivers' allowances and fuel. Costs of the venue hire would also have been captured.

 

CPSB Commissioners face EACC

By Ian Ngali

Machakos County Public Service Board boss Mr Urbanus Mutisya was today quizzed by the Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission (EACC) for allegedly pocketing illegal allowances.

                  Mr. Mutisya

                 Ms. Mwanika

                        Mr. Mutie

Mutisya and fellow Commissioner Misco Mwanika and former Head of the Secretariat Paul Kivinda Muisyo made a beeline to the 3rd floor offices at Kiamba Mall to record statements.

Mr Mutisya confirmed that he recorded a statement over the matter, along with other Commissioners and added that he has been in and out of the EACC offices over other matters he did not disclose.

" It is true I recorded a statement and explained that I refunded the money. The officer who made the payment confirmed all this to EACC", he said.

They were summoned along the other board members through letters sent to each of them which were signed by County Secretary Dr. Muya Ndambuki.

Mr. Mutisya went to the offices in the morning and spent some of the time in an interview before he was led into recording as statement over illegal earnings over a false trip to Eldoret between August 15-19, 2023 allegedly to attend  the Devolution Conference.

The Commissioners, led by Mutisya were paid between Kes. 122,000 and Kes 108,000 each but did not travel. Those paid include incoming Secretary Juliana Ndunge Mutisya( Kes 108,000) Members Misco, John Kimeu Kumbu, Franklin Musila Makola(Kes 108,000 each) and Mr Muisyo(Kes 108,000). Only Mr Muisyo travelled.

Yesterday, Ms. Misco Mwanika was the second board member to enter the 3rd floor. She was first interviewed and then asked to record a statement before Mr Muisyo popped in the afternoon. 

Informed sources say both Mutisya and Misco admitted pocketing the money for use at a Universal Health Care meeting in Masinga.

Inquiries by The Anchor established that there was no scheduled UHC meeting for the board, let alone the county executive. It is alleged that a Chief Officer approved the use of the Eldoret trip cash in the fake Masinga meeting.

But Muisyo stated that the claim for allowances by the Commissioners including the acting Secretary, was raised and paid when they knew they had no travel plan to Eldoret.

Juliana, who had also been summoned did not appear before EACC. She is reported to have received the summons when out of Machakos. 

Last week, Juliana was approved by the Machakos County Assembly to be appointed as CPSB secretary- even as the assembly was aware of her questionable status at the board. It has become usual for the assembly to approve unqualified people after their appointment by Governor Wavinya Ndeti. 

Mr. Makola and Mr Kumbu are scheduled to visit the commission to give their versions on Wednesday.

The issue of the fraudulent payments has been alive in the county since July this year when Mr. Makola raised the red flag and instructed that what was paid to him be recovered from his salary.

The questioning comes amid cases of illegal earnings by Commissioners through the payroll and employment of hundreds of illiterate staff, some in their seventies, while the county has educated and youthful potential workforce. 

Read also: Designate CPSB Secretary quizzed

Wavinya Speaks

MACHAKOS Governor Wavinya Ndeti today came out from an undisclosed location fighting back claims of alleged detention in the United Kingdom.

Wavinya, in her unsigned statement, also alleged that her life and that of her family were in danger arising from the viral circulation of reports that she and her son Charles Nzuki Oduwole had been detained  by UK police over Kes 670m that was claimed to have been in their possession.

A statement dated today which she shared on her Facebook page accused unnamed detractors of authoring the rumours.The rumours, complete with screenshots of UK based individuals circulated on social media on Saturday and Sunday as Wavinya and her government remained silent while doing nothing to rebut them. The governor's silence has made it hard to counter the rumours during the three week surjourn overseas.

The Anchor was informed that Wavinya accompanied by Charles had gone to UK to settle her daughter as she joins university. 

Even then, her statement did not state her current location or explain her absence from the county. 

The statement laughed off the allegations that she was carrying the collosal amounts on her and that she was detained.

The Anchor publishes the statement in its entirety.

Wavinya looped into officials' public spat

Riddle of squabbling officials

By Martin Masai

Three top officials in Governor Wavinya Ndeti's administration have 5 days to respond to allegations of offensive conduct that resulted in a public spat.

Mr Metho

The Minister for Roads, Transport and Public Works Ms. Rita Ndunge Ndunda, her Public Works Chief Officer Mr Benson Kituku Metho and Energy and Electrification Chief Officer  Mr. Simon Kirima have up to September 6, 2024 to give individual accounts of what transpired on August 29,2024 during the public participation meeting in Mavoko Sub County.

However a letter seen by The Anchor  which is signed by the County Secretary Dr Muya Ndambuki places a collective charge against the trio. 

Dr Ndambuki said he had been briefed that the three were involved in an altercation in public

"Vide this memo, you are required to make a written statement on what you know about this(matter) addressed to the undersigned on or before 6th September, 2024", he directed in the August 30, 2024 missive.

Ms. Ndunda

The letter, headlined "Misconduct in Public", appears to show that the CS believed the contents of the brief  but treats the particulars of the alleged misconduct  as very sensitive, if not sensational, that the CS avoids  the details all together. Indeed there are questions as to whether the matter warrants the call for statements.

Governor Wavinya did not attend the event and other public participation meetings she likes  attending.  Her confidants say she is in the UK where she reportedly took  her daughter to school.

Cabinet sources speculate that Finance Minister Onesmas Kuyu, who attended the meeting, may have briefed the governor about the drama, prompting her to trigger the letter from the CS. Kuyu is known to have a frosty relationship with Mr Kirima and this may be an enhancement of their tiffs.

Mr Kirima

Governor Wavinya is copied in the letter. The CS may not have the guts to give an ultimatum to a minister without the governor's express authority and it is believed that the governor sanctioned the writing of the demand.

The matter, the sources add, may cause a stir in the cabinet, particularly among women because they consider her as one of their own who may have been offended and should therefore not be required, under any circumstances, to relive the tormenting moment in writing. Even then, it is also suspected that the cause of the spat may have been originated from the minister- a politician in her own right- because she is not known to shy away from confrontations.

Ms. Ndunda confirmed to The Anchor that there was an incident in Mavoko but firmly declined to divulge any details " I'm still very upset.I will let it to be handled at a higher level", she quipped and hung up. 

Mr Kirima also confirmed there was a protocol hitch between them and the minister  and added that  expletives in the Kamba language were uttered repeatedly as the minister tried to find her space on the front row where she found Mr Metho and Mr Kirima seated.

When contacted, Mr Metho denied ever witnessing the spat that the CS had asked them to give an account of. " She is my minister and we have a very cordial working relationship with her. I did not witness any incident during the public participation event in Mavoko", Mr Metho added.

Bursaries: An open letter to Wavinya

My Plea to Gov.Wavinya Ndeti, 

I humbly request you, your Excellency, to raise the bursary allocation from Kes. 120 million to Kes. 800 million per year.

This is because some poor counties in North Eastern and other marginalised areas are doing the same because they want to genuinely empower the next generation with quality education.

In my ward -Kangundo East there are 7 sub-locations. I have heard that during the first phase, each ward will share Kes 1.5 million. If this is true, and I believe it to be, this sum will be shared by my 7 sub-locations. It means each of them will get Kes.  214,285.

Madam governor, my sub-location has 9 villages. When this amount of Kes 214,285 is shared equally my village will get only Kes. 23,809. Can this paltry sum make any difference? Don't you want more young people delivered from the poverty trap by empowering them through education?

Your Excellency, your government has set a minimum of  Kes 7,000 to be awarded to college and boarding schools' students while Kes 3,000 is the minimum for day school students.

Going by this criteria, Madam governor, the Kes. 23,809 for my village will just be enough to be awarded to just 1 college student getting Kes.7,000,1 boarding secondary school student getting another Kes7,000 while  3 day secondary school students will scramble for the remainder of Kes 9,000.

This number  of beneficiaries is just too little as it is shameful, considering the scope of want among worrying numbers of needy students in tertiary institutions and secondary schools.

Their parents will probably be at the Chiefs' offices the whole day waiting for bursaries that their children will never get!  I guess you know this more than anyone else; don't you see that they will feel not only cheated but also badly wasted? 

Madam governor, the previous administration was allocating the same same amount and this policy made it quite unpopular.

Yet, during the campaigns, you promised to enhance the bursary kitty to correct the mess and benefit more needy students. What may have happened for you to change your mind?

I look upon you to address this issue with the urgency it deserves.The power to do this is in your hands. Machakos people bestowed it upon you.

Yours Sincerely,

Shah Kitusa,

Youth and Community Mobilizer,

Kangundo.