Nairobi governor Johnson Sakaja weeping at a function attended by President William Ruto. PHOTO: COURTESY
Kilimani Member of County Assembly (MCA) Moses Ogeto has defended Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja amid investigations into reported financial impropriety at City Hall.
Mr Ogeto, who is the Majority Whip at the County Assembly has further accused the media of ‘frustrating’ the county boss by suggesting the existence of mega corruption under his watch.
Speaking at Baba Dogo Primary School on August 28, 2023, when he accompanied the governor to launch the Dishi Na County school feeding programme, Mr Ogeto asked the media to allow the governor to work.
“I want to address these people from the media, capture this. This issues of poking holes at Sakaja every time and claiming he has embezzled money when he has not even finished a year in office, which money has been embezzled?” he posed.
The MCA further asked the media to leave the matter of corruption ‘to competent authorities mandated to investigate such cases’.
“There are institutions such as the Ethics and Anti Corruption (EACC) and the office of the Auditor General. Let them follow the matter and confirm if money has been embezzled. This speculation on how the governor has used public funds should stop.”
The comments come at a time detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) recently carried out a sting operation at the Finance Department of the county as part of investigation into the reported planned payment of millions to nine companies that did not provide any services or goods to the county government.
Meanwhile, the Finance Department has been the scene of a dispute between the Chief Officer, and the former County Attorney, who was sacked amid an investigation by the county’s Justice and Legal Affairs Committee (JLAC).
According to a revelation made by former Attorney Lydiah Kwamboka, some law firms were paid their outstanding fees without her advice.
According to Kwamboka, Sh60 million budgeted for her office was supposed to be channeled to companies that owed the county little money, but the finance ministry went ahead and paid companies that owed the county millions contrary to her advice.
She accused the Chief Officer of usurping her role in an attempt to sabotage her office.
However, the meeting arranged for the two to appear before the same committee to clear the air fell through after Kwamboka was sacked.
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