By Anchor Writer
Senator Enoch Wambua Criticizes Kitui County’s Handling of Revenue Theft Scandal
In one of the most baffling cases of revenue theft in Kenya, 138 revenue collectors of Kitui will not be punished.
Governor Julius Malombe will only have them moved to other county departments as they repay the stolen money.
There has been no punishment plan, and neither the Directorate of Criminal Investigations nor the Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission will be invited to take action.
The matter has been discussed at the Senate’s Public Accounts Committee, where Senator Kiio Wambua, coming in as a friend of the committee, had to confront the matter.
Mr. Wambua has expressed concern over the failure of the Kitui County administration to take decisive legal action against revenue collectors who embezzled Kes. 11 million.
Speaking last Sunday, Senator Wambua condemned the administration’s decision to recover the stolen funds from the salaries of the implicated 138 revenue officers instead of prosecuting them.
He described the situation as one unique to Kitui, saying, “It is probably only in the County Government of Kitui where such strange things happen.”
The senator was reacting to revelations by top Kitui treasury officials who appeared before the Senate County Public Accounts Committee last Monday. The team, led by County Finance Chief Officer John Makau and Acting Head of Revenue Roselyne Kavata, disclosed that the revenue collectors had failed to bank the money due to a malfunction in the banking system.
Kavata added that while a substantial portion of the stolen funds had been recovered, the implicated officers were merely redeployed to other workstations.
The committee’s vice-chair, Senator Samson Cherargei, directed Governor Julius Malombe to take administrative action against the errant staff. He also invited the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to investigate the workers for theft of public funds.
Persistent Corruption in Kitui County
Senator Wambua lamented that this was not the first time Kitui County had been embroiled in a revenue theft scandal.
“Now we are being treated to yet another episode of revenue collectors literally taking home daily collections,” Wambua said. He dismissed the explanation of a system failure as insufficient justification for the misappropriation of public funds.
Deepening Crisis in Kitui
Wambua further accused Governor Malombe’s administration of presiding over widespread corruption, citing issues in sand harvesting, mineral resource exploitation, tendering processes, and human resource management.
He added that the county’s healthcare system was in dire straits and called for urgent intervention.
“The rot runs deep,” Wambua lamented. “There is a need for a rescue mission in Kitui County.”
The senator also disclosed his failed attempts to reach Governor Malombe directly to address the issues. “If I have to address him through the media, I will soon do it,” he warned.
The controversy has sparked public outrage, with calls for transparency and accountability in the management of Kitui County’s resources.
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