Bungoma Governor Kenneth Lusaka has threatened to resign if he would be found guilty of buying flowers at Sh25 million during Madaraka Day celebrations.
“I am ready to resign if I will be found culpable, “said Lusaka during a university students’ convention in Tongaren constituency in his Bungoma county.
The governor and his Senator Wafula Wakoli have locked horns over how the county used Sh 148 million on a State function.
The Bungoma governor has been facing criticism after it was revealed that his administration spent Sh25 million on beautification for last month’s Madaraka Day celebrations. Residents and civil society groups are now questioning the governor’s priorities and financial management.
The controversy started when anti-government protestors, led by Gen-Z and civil society members, stormed Lusaka’s office. They demanded an explanation for the county’s spending of over Sh148 million on planning the Madaraka Day celebrations, which is a national government event.
But Lusaka has admitted to spending Sh25 million on beautification and explained that the money was used not just for flowers, but also for planting ornamental trees, installing dustbins, erecting metallic sculptures, and clearing drainage.
The governor has defended the expenditure, saying it was meant to improve the county’s appearance for the celebration.
Lusaka has also been under pressure to give the name of the contractor awarded the tender to plant the flowers, the date the tender was advertised, and those who placed bids.
Civil society organisations have also questioned why the county government operates over 300 bank accounts in local commercial banks, saying “the multiplicity of bank accounts is designed to obscure financial transactions and facilitate the siphoning of public funds”.
Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang’o had earlier revealed that Bungoma has 352 commercial bank accounts.
But Lusaka has insisted that the county government operates 352 bank accounts in local banks. Among these, 165 are for health facilities, four for revenue collection, 152 for vocational training centres, and nine for sub-county imprest accounts.
Last week Lusaka appeared before the Senate Standing Committee on Finance to answer questions over the same allegations. Yesterday, Lusaka revealed that investigations by various state agencies were already underway and urged the senator to exercise patience.
