Broke Governor Cries To Court Over His Financial Woes

Samburu County Governor Moses Kasaine Lenolkulal has pleaded with the court to save his family from suffering over his frozen bank accounts.

He claimed that since the freezing of his four accounts in March by the High Court, he had not managed to access his salary to cater for personal needs, his family, subsistence or pay for utility bills and other accruing expenses.

“I obtained all my money through legal means through my businesses and salaries, and not as a result of corrupt dealings as alleged,” he swore.

A ruling by Justice John Onyiego in March stopped the governor from operating or withdrawing money from his accounts and those of his company, Oryx Service Station, for six months following an application by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).

EACC argued that the governor was likely to withdraw from the accounts and hide over Ksh80 million he allegedly swindled from the county government before investigations into the scandal are complete.

The state anti-corruption body submitted before the court that after Kasaine was elected Samburu Governor in 2013, he incorporated and registered Oryx Service Station as a channel for siphoning public funds from the county government.

The commission stated that the governor’s company was awarded an exclusive contract for the supply of fuel to the county government in a clear case of conflict of interest where an elected leader was using money meant for the public to pay himself.

EACC told the court that Kasaine received in excess of Ksh80,763,715 in his personal account from the county coffers by purporting that his company had supplied diesel and petrol for use by the county’s vehicles.

The cash-dry governor denied the allegations and accused the court of treating him unfairly by issuing the orders without giving him a chance to be heard.

“The orders were issued on a basis of baseless and unreasonable apprehension that I will withdraw and transfer the funds held in my accounts. It was unfair for the commission to seek the orders against me without giving me a chance to explain my sources of wealth,” lamented Kasaine.

The county boss was also been charged with abuse of office and conspiracy to commit economic crimes by receiving Ksh84,695,996 from the county government through his company Oryx Services Station.

He further wants the name of his company struck from the proceedings, arguing that it is a privately registered business name with no legal capacity to be sued.

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