Chama Cha Uzalendo leader Wavinya Ndeti has condemned marred corruption in county governments.
Speaking at a fundraiser in Kalimatuto Catholic Church in Mavoko sub-county on Sunday, Ndeti said Kenyans are as frustrated as the presidency on high levels of corruption in their respective counties across the country.
“President Uhuru Kenyatta made it clearly during his state of nation’s address in national assembly that his government has given over Sh1 trillion to the county governments in the last three years since devolution took off so as to provide development services to the people, there is nothing going on in the counties because people are busy stealing public funds and resources,” said Ndeti.
“The government is as frustrated as the common “mwananchi” since leaderships and top employees of county governments get there to enrich themselves. People working in county governments are not performing but busy stealing, corruption has been adversely devolved to the counties,” said Ndeti.
Ndeti said the government should compel governors accused of engaging in corruption to face the law instead of running to courts to seek court orders barring their arrests and prosecutions.
“The government should order immediate arrests of the governors and senior county government officials accused of being corrupt so that they defend themselves in courts instead of blocking their arrests, public funds and resources must be safeguarded and stolen ones recovered by relevant authorities,” said the CCU leader.
Ndeti claimed there are more than 52 choppers across the country which have been bought by either governors, their deputies or other people in the county governments using stolen public funds, “proceeds from corrupt dealings,”.
“We know backgrounds and profiles of the majority in these county governments, most of them were poppers when they got to the governments. Where have they suddenly gotten the money to buy the choppers?” said Ndeti.
Ndeti said those mentioned in corruption must be prosecuted and subjected to lifestyle audit by relevant departments within the national government.
She said some of the air crafts were already in use by various politicians to lobby for votes across the country.
“It is despicable and hurting to see citizens suffer for lack of development in the counties, public funds meant for equipping hospitals with drugs and other amenities, improving education, providing water, constructing roads, facilitating crop and livestock production, supporting youth and women initiatives and creating employment to the jobless majority have been stolen for individual investments including the purchase of the aircrafts, and the culprits use the same choppers to transverse counties requesting for votes. You will not get votes, your money will be eaten because you will buy aeroplanes if re –elected to county leaderships,” said Ndeti.
Ndeti said there were increased poverty levels among residents of the counties against the spirit of devolution due to corruption among their leaderships.
She urged women serving county governments in top positions not to accept being used by corrupt men retaliating that all governors in the 47 counties are men with a few women serving under them as deputy governors.