Kericho Governor Paul Chepkwony suffered a blow after the county assembly refused to approve a Ksh83 million budget meant for a case against the British government over colonial injustices.
According to the Ward Reps, the governor failed to account for Ksh99 million allocated to the case which is yet to be filed in London three years later.
The legislators also refused to approve Ksh103 million for the construction of an eye center and instead directed the funds towards cancer treatment.
The chairman of the Budget and Appropriation Committee Albert Kipkoech maintained the MCAs had abided by the law in executing their order.
[caption caption="Kericho County Assembly"]
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“We ensured that all the projects that are enlisted in the County Integrated Development Plan and County Fiscal Strategy Paper get an allocation," Kipkoech stated.
"Some of those rejected were introduced in the budget estimates and not captured in the two documents,” the chairman of the Budget and Appropriation Committee added.
Kapsoit MCA Paul Chirchir argued that the governor had been taking elderly victims for a ride and was only using them for political mileage in the case where Prof Chepkwony is seeking Ksh2 trillion compensation from the British government.
“The governor is asking for Sh83 million and subsequent annual allocation of Sh30 million supposedly until the case is concluded whereas he has not accounted for the initial money? We will not be a party to his plundering of public resources,” the Kapsoit MCA remarked.
Belgut lawmaker Nelson Koech brought the Kerenga airstrip project and the British lawsuit to the attention of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission.
The MCAs shot down a request by the governor for an additional budget for the controversial upgrade of the airstrip.
[caption caption="Kericho Governor Paul Chepkwony"]
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Koech stated: “I invite EACC to come to Kericho and look into the plunder of resources in the disguise of a case by Kericho County in search for justice for the ills meted on the locals by the British government in the 1900s.”
