Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru seems to be out of touch with her medical staff.
The Governor who fired over 1000 striking medical personnel in July 2019 is now being accused of non-payment of salaries since December 2019.
“I am currently working at Kirinyaga county in Kerugoya level 5 hospital all the health workers have not received salaries for the past 4 months since December last year. We are all working with intimidation for the fear of being sacked so no one would speak out. Kindly raise our grievances to the relevant authority on our behalf we are really suffering. Despite other counties we are just told to prepare for the corona pandemic without any salaries. No one can speak out even the top management are all suffering the same fate from the chief officer downwards. Kindly help us out and hide my ID I dont want to be sacked”, a medial staff wrote to Kenyanbulletin.com
Waiguru who is not a stranger to controversies going by her prominent mention in the National Youth Service (NYS) 1 saga, is also being investigated by Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) for irregular tender awards.
The Governor is accused of conflict of interest in awarding a Sh50 million tender and signing allowances for fictitious foreign trips.
This scandal has attracted an impeachment motion tabled at the assembly by Mutira Ward Representative David Kinyua Wangui, where the governor is accused of abusing her office and violating the Constitution.
Mr Wangui says Ms Waiguru was irregularly paid travel allowances amounting to Sh10.6 million “yet she did not make the trips”.
The amounts were paid the same days the invoices were issued, with Mr Wangui adding that the money was deposited in the governor’s Equity Bank accounts.
The ward representative says the governor invoiced the devolved government the amounts between June 2018 and February 2020.
On June 18, 2018, according to the impeachment document, Governor Waiguru invoiced the county government Sh165,375.
On September 6, 2019, she invoiced the devolved unit Sh300,000.
On October 29, 2019 according to Mr Wangui, the county boss invoiced the county Sh43,800, January 8, 2020 (Sh943,700), October 23, 2018 (Sh1,107,364), January 15, 2020 (Sh300,000) and February 25, 2020 (Sh1,125,440).
On the flouting of the procurement law, the Mutira Ward rep says on August 23, 2019 the governor invoiced the county Sh1,001,910, on June 30, 2019 (Sh2,600,297), June 14, 2019 (Sh455,000), February 18, 2019 (Sh989, 961) and on June 18, 2018 (Sh1,601,767).
The governor is also being accused of violating the 2015 Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Act.
According to Mr Wangui, the governor usurped powers of the accounting officer when she formed a tender evaluation committee made up of her employees – Ms Pauline Kamau and Mr Gichira Wayne.
The contracts that Mr Wangui says were irregularly awarded include the proposed indefinite framework agreement for the supply of non-pharmaceuticals.
Two Rays General Supplies Ltd was paid Sh8 million but did not offer services to the county, the ward representative says.
He adds that a tender for the design, development, installation and commissioning of an integrated hospital management information system was awarded to Velocity Partners Ltd – a phantom company.
“It is important to note that the tender had been completed by the previous county government. Nevertheless, Velocity Partners Ltd was paid Sh50.6 million despite not doing any work,” Mr Wangui goes on.
The impeachment motion was due for debate at the assembly on April 8, but the governor obtained temporary orders blocking it.
Waiguru suggested that the MCAs claiming they have been threatened could have stage-managed it to seek public sympathy.
She warned that continued wrangling and the resultant rising political temperatures could bring instability to the county.
