By The Weekly Vision Reporter
Revelations of widespread embezzlement of resources have come to light in Bomet County merely a month after an altercation occurred between Governor Hillary Barchock and Senator Hillary Sigei’s supporters. Insiders assert that the ongoing power struggle between the top county leaders is a result of alleged graft cases in the county, with the senator maintaining that the governor and his allies are deeply involved.
It has been revealed that the governor approved a payment of Ksh. 10,722,820 to 19 employees during the financial year 2022-2023. The employees had already reached the compulsory retirement age of 60 years but were inexplicably retained in service without any valid justification or indication of possessing unique skills.
Additionally, it has also come to light that the County Executive authorized payments amounting to Ksh. 13,841,676 to employees whose employment agreements had lapsed. Further, a thorough assessment of the personal files belonging to the County Executive Committee Members, Chief Officers, and Chief of Staff revealed a lack of renewed contracts or employment agreements, which is in direct violation of the policy.
Upon reviewing the County Executive’s monthly payrolls, it was discovered that 14 employees were paid a combined monthly gross salary of Ksh. 4,456,503 in shared bank accounts, a practice that contradicts Section C.1(2) of the Human Resource Policies and Procedures Manual for the Public Service, 2016. It has been uncovered that the county executive paid a sum of Ksh. 4,752,000 to two local firms for training services. However, it was found that the trainers who were contracted and paid were not registered with the National Industrial Training Authority, going against Section 7C(2) of the Industrial Training Act, 2012 CAP.237.
Additional investigations indicate that the county executive provided Ksh. 1,800,440 to Chebunyo Primary School for the renovation of classrooms on May 26, 2023, in response to a longstanding plea from the Board of Management to the County Government of Bomet on June 12, 2018. However, it is the duty of the national government to oversee the restoration of primary school classrooms. As a result, the reliability of the Ksh. 1,800,440 expenditure is questionable.
