Kiambu Senator, Karungo wa Thang'wa has urged the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to investigate the county's payment system, after alleging that the governor switched from an automated to a manual network over technical issues.
He added that the transition created a loophole with over Ksh390 million lost through fraudulent payments to ghost workers.
"The reversion to a manual payroll system, under the guise of technical issues, has created the perfect environment for theft. Suspected ghost workers have received over Ksh390 million in fraudulent payments," Karungo alleged on Tuesday, February 27, via his social media pages.
Furthermore, the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) senator also claimed that a network of 15 officers amassed over Ksh500 million through questionable cash imprests.
To compound the issue, he added that an illegal revenue collection was being conducted by over 200 unlawfully contracted liaison officers.
"I urge the EACC to act swiftly and decisively in halting this plunder of public resources and bringing those responsible to justice,"
"Let us not be fooled by Governor Wamatangi's deceitful claims of having settled all pending bills. An independent report by the Controller of Budget reveals that only 4 per cent of the Ksh5.62 billion in outstanding debts has been paid," Thang'wa stated.
The senator countered reports which stated that Governor Wamatangi crossed to the 2023/2024 financial year without a pending bill from the previous financial year.
Thang'wa, however, did not back up his allegation with official documents in the public tirade against Wamatangi.
A spot check also indicated that the governor does not oversee the hiring of the officials which is under the jurisdiction of the County Public service officer and the County Chief of Staff.
Thang'wa had also yet to table the allegations to relevant authorities for investigation, especially the Senate which participates in the oversight of counties.
Kiambu County has not yet responded to the claims by Thang'wa.
