Listen to This Article Enhance your reading experience by listening to this article.

Farmers from West Kano Irrigation scheme in Kisumu have asked the Senate to probe what they termed as embezzlement of funds running into millions of shillings for the past nine years.

The petitioners claimed that their efforts to have the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) investigate pilferage in the scheme has failed.

The petitioners led by Pastor Patrick Ochieng told the Senate Agriculture Committee chaired by James Murango (Kirinyaga), that the scheme has received millions of shillings from the government in the form of rehabilitation fund, economic stimulus package fund, Farmers savings fund and Rice sales funds.

Stolen funds

“All these funds have been misappropriated, embezzled, stolen, pilfered, snaffled under the watch of the EACC Western Regional Office, Kisumu. The way EACC has handled the matter is causing unbearable social, economic, physical and emotional suffering to farmers and the project beneficiaries,” claimed Ochieng in his petition.

Now the petitioners want the Senate committee to carry out a thorough financial inspection of the scheme between 2007-2021 and institutional audit of the scheme since its inception. The petitioners also pleaded with the Murango(pictured) led committee to recommend a forensic audit of all the officials involved in the management of the scheme between 2007-2021 as well as to help set up a team of experts to identify, establish gaps in the current scheme management system.

“We call upon the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries to intervene to unlock the West Kano Irrigation scheme investigation process so as to bring the untouchable culprits to book,” said Ochieng.

 The petitioners claim that between 2009-2015, the government released Sh86million with the farmers’ savings totalling Sh18million which was utilised by West Kano Irrigation Farmers Revolving Fund and the National Irrigation Board (NIB). Ochieng told the Senate committee that NIB set up the Irrigation farmers revolving fund Organisation to carry out rice production in the scheme.

He argues that the Revolving Fund Organisation was an umbrella body of 59 self-help groups in the whole scheme, adding that the revolving fund was mandated to advance cash to farmers.