ANALYSIS:
By Anchor Writers:
The County Government of Machakos flat denial over allegations of non-payment linked to the multimillion-shilling uniform tender awarded to Movata Fashions & Designs lifts a lid on integrity and leadership.
By dismissing the claims as “politically motivated” and asserting that no contract, no delivery note, and no invoice exist in county records Finance Minister Catherine Mutanu exposes both herself and the Wavinya Ndeti administration beyond what it’s critics have ever done.
What about the pile of documents and firsthand confirmations seen by The Anchor that tell a sharply different story — one of delivered goods, unpaid suppliers, and a Finance Department more eager to deflect the matter than to account.
County Denial vs Paper Trail
In her statement, CECM for Finance Catherine Mutanu insists that there is “no supply relationship” between the County and Mr. Sammy Kioko, who has been pursuing the payment. On the surface, she may be right: Kioko was not the contractor of record.
The contract was awarded to Movata Fashions, whose director, Ms. Mutua, is currently indisposed and reportedly battling serious health challenges encountered to an Indian hospital.
Yet the facts at hand collapse the County’s neat narrative. The delivery note stamped by the Department, a list of issued uniforms — including some worn by Governor Wavinya Ndeti and county security heads — and complementary deliveries to senior officers paint a clear picture of a supply fulfilled.
Mr. Kioko’s role as financier of the contractor and his possession of identical payment documents to those in Movata’s file seal the case: the goods were delivered, accepted, and publicly used.
That makes the County’s assertion of “no records” not merely misleading but potentially deceptive. Under the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act (PPADA), once goods are received and acknowledged through a delivery note and inspection certificate, a payment obligation arises to the contracted supplier — in this case, Movata.
The denial therefore amounts to either a record-keeping failure or a cover-up. The gist of the matter is that uniforms were procured and payments have not been done. This is the subject matter Sammy the comedian chose his style to effectively drive home.
The Cost of Silence and Spin
Sources close to the transaction told The Anchor that the contractor has been pushed to the brink financially, borrowing heavily to meet delivery deadlines while county officers allegedly demanded over KSh 2 million in “facilitation” to clear the payment.
If true, this would confirm the worst fears outlined by the Controller of Budget in recent correspondence to Machakos: the administration’s opaque payment system, ballooning pending bills, and disregard for fiscal discipline.
Instead of cleaning its books, the County has chosen to launder its image with the Mutanu statement — disowning both the transaction and the suffering suppliers whose livelihoods have been shattered by official dishonesty.
The County’s attempt to frame the matter as a “political ploy” collapses against the weight of its own receipts.
When uniforms are delivered, accepted, and even worn by top officials, there is no political witch-hunt — only a trail of evidence screaming for payment.
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