MCAs face probe over ‘X-mas gift’
Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has summoned 63 current and former members of the Bungoma County Assembly and 70 Assembly staff who allegedly received Sh3.2 million as Christmas allowance in the 2015/16 financial year.
The commission has summoned the MCAs and Assembly staff who received the money to appear before it.
According to EACC, the MCAs pocketed Sh30,000 each while the Assembly staff received Sh20,000 as a Christmas allowance.
The commission says the payments were done through irregular imprest forms.
Election losers
The letter further asked the MCAs and staff to return the cash and all interest accumulated within 14 days failure to which appropriate action will be taken against them.
A number of those summoned, especially MCAs who lost their seats in the 2017 General Election showed up on Monday at the EACC offices.
About half of the MCAs who received the money did not make it back to the assembly after the last election.
John Musakali, a former Ndivisi Ward MCA in Webuye East constituency said they had received messages from EACC to collect their letters.
“It is now the responsibility of everyone who received the money to come and clear their name. If you received the money, then you have to refund it,” he said.
Musakali, who was the Leader of Minority in the assembly, said some MCAs had already refunded the cash.
David Fwaro, a former South Bukusu MCA acknowledged that they had received the money.
“It was normal that as MCAs, whenever we had meetings, we were given allowances and we thought that was the case,” he said.
Disciplinary measures
The Clerk of the Assembly John Mosongo said the staff and the ward reps have no choice but return the money.
In the letter, the commission says it will conduct proceedings in court for recovery or protection of public property or for the freezing or confiscation of proceeds of corruption or related to corruption, or the payments of compensation, or other punitive or disciplinary measures according to section 11 of the Commission Act 2011.
