We Are Faceless But We See: The Rotten Core of Corruption and Mismanagement in the County Assembly

 We live in a new age, a new time. When we were young, we always looked ahead to the future, with dreamy eyes, high expectations, and a zeal to live. But now we just there. How old am I, you ask? I say too old for my age. I carry the wisdom of the ancients. I was there when the snake Ngulu held the sun. When the great Mwangeka shot arrows from Vuria to Iyale, and when you were a nuisance Kwa Sholwa lwau na nibas ghako gha sia uwo! Those were the days.

Yet, while this may seem to amaze you, you haven't been amazed yet. Now we live in times where old men send goons to violate young men for speaking the truth. The hashtag #JusticeForBruce leaves a sour taste in my mouth. How could they? Humanity is lost. Young men abducted for exposing looters—men who amass wealth for greed. Do they not know? When it's all done, they’ll leave it here. While their bodies rot, eaten by worms.

Let me speak of great young leaders who make the old angry—Morara Kabaso. You expose as much as you can, let the world know. Your story is written. Born a peasant, God’s plan is for you to be a king. Let Saul fabricate cyber crimes, just to stop you from singing. Sing, King David! But be wary of your utterance, don't lose focus of the intended goals.

Speaking of Saul… or is it Zakayo? Despite the pain and despair, let’s go national. A little humor goes a long way. So, Zakayo—no, I mean Abraham, the tax collector of our times—has taken his son, the son of Mulima, on a journey to sacrifice to their god. The son of Mulima asks, “Where is the sacrifice, father?” And the Abraham of our times tells the son, “God will provide.” The firewood is set! Will this Abraham hear the voice and rescue the son, or will he sacrifice Mulima's son and laugh sarcastically as he burns to the ground? That, we will wait to see. But I say, be wary of some relationships.

Relationships like the one we are in. A Governor who is not performing. A County Assembly that is corrupt to the core. Jesus said, "He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone." But in our times, we must worry, for sinners cast stones. They hide, like camels behind a single strand of grass, hoping you won’t see their behind. If they cast stones and Wakujaa falls, who will stand in his place? The deputy? Or a puppet of the master schemers in the House of Policy Makers? I wonder!

Speaking of the House of Policy Makers, I hear gentlemen are being booed in public!!, and they get drunk, not just with power, but with what our brewers make in plenty. The power has made them too hot, even on matters of “engineering” of the opposite gender… but those are just rumors, I say.

In a sigh of relief to the community, the administration of Bwana Wakujaa has signed a return-to-work agreement with the medics' trade union. As NHIF dies. Let’s see the rise of the new demigod SHA. As they say, time will tell.

But let’s do Taita Solid and scrutinize these policymakers. Here's what the Auditor General had to say about them:

Audit Report for the County Assembly of Taita Taveta – Financial Year 2022-2023

The report reveals serious concerns in financial management, legal compliance, and governance.

1. Unsupported Expenditures

  • Goods and services expenditures of Kshs. 325,049,151 were unsupported.
    • Travel and Subsistence: Kshs. 30,430,926 lacked the necessary documentation, such as SRC approval.
    • Motor Vehicle Maintenance: Kshs. 2,538,048 variance, with Kshs. 1,914,468 spent without adequate paperwork.
    • Insurance Costs: Kshs. 1,000,000 was spent on motor vehicle insurance with no supporting documents.

2. Irregular Legal Expenses

  • Kshs. 7,213,501 was spent on legal services, Kshs. 4,000,000 of which went to private legal firms with no clear selection process.

3. Irregular Foreign Travel Expenses

  • Kshs. 17,154,399 spent on foreign travel, including leadership training in Zanzibar. Kshs. 238,000 was unjustified for transport, and Kshs. 1,141,809 was paid to MCAs who did not travel.

4. Budgetary Control and Performance

  • An under-funding of Kshs. 130,799,518 and under-expenditure of Kshs. 136,400,029 negatively impacted service delivery.

5. Irregular Re-designation of Staff

  • 16 employees were re-designated without following procedures.

6. Unresolved Prior Year Issues

  • Several issues from past audits remain unresolved, indicating weaknesses in governance and risk management.

These findings point to significant governance failures and lack of accountability in our County Assembly.

As Chavez said, “Once you educate the people, you cannot make them unlearn, we have seen the future, and the future is ours". After all is said and done, I have played my part. Take time to analyze this. They think we don't see. But we are faceless, and yet, we see.

gods of Taita Taveta, let’s make it in our own image. Next Thursday, stay tuned for our next episode.

For any queries or information, reach out to us at Voice of Taita Taveta @doctalve or email doctalve@gmail.com.

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