Matatus in Kitale took over the stalled Bus Stage, a multi-million project which has remained incomplete for a very long time.
Residents of Kitale Town in Trans Nzoia County have no reason to smile even since devolution became a reality as Governor Patrick Khaemba has not done any tangible development in the town since 2013.
Other towns, which act as headquarters fro county governments have moved but Kitale remained backward, even as many projects stalled, including the stadium.
It is reported that touts wh are tired of Governor Khaemba’s looting stormed the main bus terminus and started using it.
The touts led all vehicles from alternative stages in accessing the new bus park, which has been at the centre of controversy after word went round that a rival group of vehicle owners were to take over.
Touts association chairman Simon Andala said their efforts to have the bus park opened to decongest the town’s transport sector had fallen on deaf ears leading to the forceful take over Monday.
He accused the county government for failing to decongest the town’s transport system which had failed leading to some matatus opting for alternative parking without any amenities as others parked along the Kitale –Eldoret highway to pick passengers.
A number of matatu operators said Governor Patrick Khaemba was making a bad situation worse by failing to re-open the bus park which had stalled for more than eight years now.
“We do not understand why the county government has deliberately chosen not to open the bus park which has cost over Sh1 billion. We were today Monday left with no other alternative but to occupy this bus park,” said Peter Wachira, a driver.
Pandemonium erupted in the bus park as tuk-tuks, motorcycles, matatus and buses were moved into the bus park defying orders to wait until it was officially handed over to the county government.
Trans Nzoia county assembly own planning committee chairman who spoke to the People Daily from isolation after contacting coronavirus warned against the take over which he said threatened to congest the bus park and led to the spread of coronavirus.
Looting Governor
In a scenario where a politician put in charge of a lot of money doesn’t deliver, it is more likely that they are looting.
Khaemba and his younger wife have been fingered for stealing money from the county coffers, swindling a women sacco and mismanaged funds in fruitless projects.
Ms Lydia Khaemba has been mentioned in a Sh700 million scandal.
Sh700million Public Funds was looted in Trans Nzoia County and channeled to ‘Powerful individuals’ accounts, a private investigations revealed.
The county officials paid themselves over Sh700 Million and channeled through certain individual’s accounts. This was done in collaboration with Equity Bank on undisclosed account operated by certain powerful individuals.
On a single day, on 2nd January 2018, the total payment of about Sh215 Million from an Equity Bank account was made to individuals without any deliverables. This same account was used to make illegal payments of Ksh21 Million on 4th August 2017 and Ksh65 Million on 3rd December 2017. This illegality was committed on several occasions where hundreds of millions were syphoned from this Equity Account to individual’s accounts.
Lydia hides her money in properties some of which are not under her name.
The County government also has a knack for starting projects that stall, where they steal money from the county coffers.
Residents are not happy, “All projects are stalled or in bad shape. Referral Hospital has become a white elephant, the ‘County stadium project also stalled despite huge allocation of funds”.
