Disabled people in Isiolo say county officials misusing funds intended for them

Disabled people from Isiolo have protested over what they say is misuse of funds allocated to them and harassment by county government officials.

They were speaking Wednesday outside the Isiolo Education, Youth and Gender office and were joined by youth, women and other marginalised groups.

They claimed Sh90 million allocated to them by the county government in the last three years could not be accounted for and asked the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to investigate the matter.

Led by nominated MCA representing minority groups, Hassan Shano, the protesters camped at the office demanding to be addressed by county officials.

“The county assembly has allocated millions of funds to the special groups in the last three financial years but we do not understand how the funds were used,” said Mr Shano.

Mr Ali Godana from Watta group said Sh15 million intended for the marginalised groups was allocated in the 2014-2016 budget but members are yet to benefit.

Their efforts to seek response from the county officials were futile, he said.

Mr Reuben Oyani said the county officials harassed them for asking for the money.

“We (the disabled) have missed out on several activities due to lack of funds yet the county assembly has set aside Sh8 million every financial year for the group,” said Mr Oyani.

The Education, Youth, Sports and Gender executive and chief officer Maulid Hassan and Kenneth Maorwe respectively could not be reached for comment as they could not be reached on their phones.