Mbooni CDF theft: Chief
becomes first casualty
CHIEF of Katangini Location in Mbooni Constituency has finally been charged over corruption in the Mau Drift scandal involving theft of CDF funds.
He appeared at an anti corruption court in Embu and denied the charge and was released on a Sh 100,000 bond. Mr Edward Maleve's prosecution is a culmination of efforts since 2009 to have officials who were responsible for the construction of Mau Drift punished. Sh 3.4m is alleged to have been swindled between the chief and other CDF officials.
The Anchor reported the matter in 2009. This is a falshback on the 2009 story.
"Mbooni fails to allocate 2009 bursaries
Residents of Mbooni Constituency want the local CDF committee explain why the Sh.2m kitty set aside for bursaries since January this year is yet released.
The residents, mostly college and university students who had applied for the cash said they had not received any money so far. The students and their parents were inconvenienced by the failure to release the money after some completed their studies this year with fees arrears that was to be cleared by the bursary kit. `'We want the area MP Mutula Kilonzo to intervene and explain why this happened.Is it a case of inefficiency on the party of CDF or is is a plot to steal the cash'' asked the prospective beneficiaries.
They also want the CDF committee thoroughly investigated and overhauled to pave way for an efficient one that will not in future cause such inconvenience to us'' they added.
But contacted the CDF chairman Cllr Nzeki Mutulili, admitted the delay to release the money arguing that it had been caused by the failure by te CDF manager to co-operate with his committee.
`'Yes I admit the students' complaints are true but the blame goes to the CDF manager who has been a liability to us whenever we ask him to sign checks to release such monies to the beneficiaries'' he added. Mr Mutulili however, said the money was in safe custody and would be disbursed soon after their differences with the manager are over.
But contacted, the outgoing Mbooni CDF manager, Mr George Malinga, dismissed the chairman's claims saying he had been put in an awkward situation by the committee that insisted he should process the release the money without any minutes. `'The chairman and the committee has been pushing me around to release the money out of procedure and at my own risk'' he said . Mr Malinga argued that the committee wanted him to take shortcuts through which he releases the money without any documentation after which he would be held responsible for its accounting. He said existing bad blood between him and the committee developed when its members wanted extra sitting allowances that he could not sanction.
Mr Malinga who is in the process of being transferred out of Mbooni to Machakos (see separate story) due to the grudge said the money was safe in the CDF accounts. Malinga's exit from Mbooni is welcome relief to residents and is certainly welcome for the Mutulili team.
For Mutulili, he sees a wonderful opportunity to operate without the recalcitrant presence of Malinga, whom he viewed as a roadblock to swift financial transactions. Malinga has truly rejected open efforts to siphon cash from the kitty, not necessarily because he is a clean man, but because he wanted Mutulili to recognize his office.
Until his departure, Malinga was seen as the last man standing in the way of abuse of funds. The better option for Mutula Kilonzo is now to rout Mutulili and his retinue of greedy councillors who hover around the CDF kitty the way hyenas hover around a carcass. For it can never be truly said that CDF in Mbooni is being run in the best way possible.
The Mutulili-Malinga gang must first account for who allocated the construction of the Mau Drift that both of them deny responsibility over even as the taxpayers money is channelled to be paid to the contractor who has papers signed by bonafide CDF leaders. CDF Mbooni has been in turmoil since the gang connived to remove former chairman Peter Mwanthi in the hope that they could pilfer funds at will. Observers are wondering what exactly Mr Kilonzo is waiting for before taking action because a failed CDF committee will impact negatively on him first before hitting anyone else. `The more Mutula ignores the war within his CDF, the more the noose tightens on his neck'said Alf Mutie, a civic educator in Kikima Market."
