EACC reveals how millions of shillings were looted in Siaya County

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has unearthed loopholes through which millions of Siaya County funds are misappropriated.

While presenting a corruption risk assessment report to Siaya Governor James Orengo on Thursday, EACC revealed how a former employee earned a salary for seven years despite being transferred to another county, pocketing a whooping Ksh.4.5 million.

The said officer had been transferred from Siaya County to Bungoma County on May 11, 2012 but continued to receive his salary up to October 2019.

Another officer from Siaya County who retired in December 2019, received Ksh.94,000 in January 2020 as his salary without rendering any services.

Further, the commission reported on the state of stalled projects, which had cost the taxpayer millions of shillings with no value for money reported.

The Siaya bus park was flagged in the assessment report where a total of Ksh.17.5 million went down the drain, with the project lying idle and most of the infrastructure vandalized.

The report indicated that the project had been 80% complete before the contractor abandoned the site in July 2022.

The internal audit report on project management between 2015 and 2019 also fingered ward administrators for the misappropriation of Ksh.13.3 million in irregular payments of project management committee allowances.

The commission however gave a raft of recommendations including the full implementation of the IFMIS modules, adherence to procurement regulations, development of a scheme of service, and regular inspection of development projects among others.

“The recommendations that came out of the corruption risk assessment are intended really to strengthen those systems processes and procedures so that going forward the weaknesses that we have identified can be sealed to ensure that there is a strong governance structure both at the executive level and also at the county assembly,” said EACC Commissioner John Ogallo.