Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya is on the spot over improper issuance of loans to county officials running into millions.
Senators from the Senate Public Investments and Special Funds Committee raised alarm over an incident where a few senior officials allocated themselves loans amounting to Ksh30,730,000 without any security or insurance, even as residents struggle to access essential services.
Natembeya, while appearing before the Committee on Wednesday, July 30, was tasked with explaining why the millions went missing, with details revealing that some of the suspected officials are no longer working for the county.
The audit revealed that under the Car Loan and Mortgage Fund, Ksh30.7 million was disbursed without collateral or supporting documents.
Additionally, Ksh10.6 million in loan repayments from former staff remained outstanding. The Fund also lacked loan application forms, minutes of approval, and securities, all contrary to Regulation 16(1) of the Fund’s law.
“This is a betrayal of public trust,” noted Senator Eddy Oketch, who chaired the session.
“Millions have been issued to a few individuals, some of whom have left county service and are no longer repaying. Meanwhile, wananchi can’t get health services or water. This committee will not tolerate such recklessness,” he warned.
The audit revealed a deeper crisis in Natembeya’s administration. Across nearly all funds, including the Elimu Bursary, Climate Change, and Nawiri Funds, there were glaring inaccuracies, unsupported cash and cash equivalents, and long-outstanding imprests, with accountants cited at the heart of the problem.
“Qualified? Maybe. Competence? Clearly not. These accountants are the common thread in every failed fund. We are seeing the same sloppiness repeated. They must be held to account,” charged Senator Raphael Chimera.
For his part, Natembeya acknowledged the cash crisis in his county, pledging to weed out the incompetent individuals and enforce tighter regulations and rules for county officials.
“We have sponsored many of these accountants for training, but some don’t even attend. We’re now tightening supervision and enforcing attendance,” he told the committee.
The committee directed the county to secure all loans with collateral, ensure proper documentation, recover outstanding funds, and table its agreement with the bank that manages the loan facility.
The latest comes after Natembeya was recently charged with graft, facing two counts of conflict of interest and one count of unlawful acquisition of public property.
According to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), the governor is alleged to have unlawfully acquired Ksh3.25 million in public funds between January 1, 2023, and April 30, 2025, through payments made by the county government of Trans Nzoia in circumstances that constituted a conflict of interest.
He was also charged with two counts of conflict of interest under the Anti-graft and Economic Crimes Act, 2003. The prosecution told the court that during the same period, Natembeya acquired indirect financial benefits of Ksh1.12 million and Ksh2.12 million from individuals whose businesses traded with the county government.
