County official faces questions over IDPs’ money

Trans Nzoia county commissioner Charity Chepkonga has been pressed to explain how influential people allegedly benefited from funds given for resettlement of Teldet camp for IDPs.

Some 226 influential civil servants and military personnel are said to have been selected among the 383 families that received Sh400,000 each from the government for resettlement.

Speaking during the Mashujaa Day celebrations at Kenyatta Stadium in Kitale, leaders asked the county commissioner to come out clean on the matter.

Women representative Janet Nangabo said it was unfair that deserving people had missed out on the cash and had been urged to wait for the second phase.

'WE WILL NOT SIT BACK'

“We will not sit back and watch the rich gain access to funding meant to settle the landless who have spent five years in the cold,” said Mrs Nangabo.

Saboti MP David Wafula called on the government to ensure those behind the fraud were brought to book for denying genuine forest evictees a chance to get new homes.

“It is annoying for right thinking individuals to collude and deny deserving forest evictees their right to be settled. Those behind this should face the law,” said Mr Wafula.

The county commissioner admitted that some undeserving civil servants and teachers had benefited.

However, the Devolution ministry had been advised to instruct the disbursing bank to withhold the funds, she added.

“We realised the anomalies late because profiling of the beneficiaries was not done by us but by Special Programmes officials in 2008. It should be known that my office is clean,” the commissioner said.

County assembly member Andrew Kutitila had blamed the commissioner for allegedly declining a request to vet the shortlist of the final beneficiaries.