Lamu Governor Dr Issah Timamy receives praises from Senate Committee for saving public coffers from mismanagement
The school and the county education bursary fund committee conspired to defraud lamu county government
The Senate watchdog committee has directed Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission [EACC] alongside Director of Criminal Investigations [DCI] to move with speed and investigate Kilifi College of Accountancy over suspicious activities
The prompted probe is a backdrop after Lamu County Government raised red alarm over a web syndicate and mischievous attempts from the then chief executive committee member for finance and the school’s management
In what captured senator’s attention to order fresh investigations is when lamu county officials questioned the high number of students who’d applied for bursary and awarded by the finance officials calling probe to ascertain more than what meets the eye
Despite little amount of money allocated to Lamu County Government from the exchequer of Sh 3.6 billion in 2020/2021 financial year, it would have lost substantial funds amounting to Sh5.2 million to 92 ghost students marked as beneficiaries of Kilifi College of Accountancy
Thanks to Governor Dr Issa Timmamy, who blew the whistle of suspicious intend in the said college which had many students applied for 2020/2021 bursary kitty raising the eyebrows to further fact finding mission
This, prompted the county bursary committee fund to make an impromptu visit to the college where they found none of the students belonged to the school, not even registration numbers captured against the applications forms
Appearing before the Senate’s Special Funds Committee chaired by Vihiga Senator Godfrey Otsotsi, Mr Timammy, tabled reports on financial prudence for the year under the review
Funding less privileged communities in Lamu County
In order to address the illiteracy by the some of indigenous communities like Boni and Sanya, Governor said they had passed a county bursary act targeting to sponsor all children from the said communities free on elementary level
Even though Kiambu Senator Karangu Wa Thang’wa opposed the bill saying it is discriminatory to other ethnic communities living in lamu, arguing that the act will continue profiling up the segregation among the dwelling communities
“I find this act discriminating, it means that any other deserving children from another community living in lamu can’t benefit from this initiative! What if some families in the targeted communities are well up over untargeted, will you still sponsor their children,” Thang’wa sought answers
His counterpart from lamu Senator Joseph Kamau, and Narok Senator Ledama Ole Kina supported the governor’s affirmative action on targeting those children from marginalized communities, adding that they understand the pain of marginalized groups
Instead, they said, what the senator of Kiambu should focus is to fight for more equalization funds in order to address those existing gaps
“I don’t have a problem with the county government targeting children from these communities because they live in forests and they need someone who will take them through to understand the importance of education,” Kamau stated
However, the Senate Committee accused the county government of spending Sh3.6 million on domestic travels and subsistence allowances, money-which, senators said would have benefited 45-50 students in secondary school
The committee recommended that, Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission moves with speed to immediately investigate the former Chief Executive Committee Member of Finance Ahmed Hemed with possible prosecutions for violations of public finance management act 2012, read together with amendment 2015
Mr Hemed is reported to have grossly violated the sections of the laws by forcing junior officers in his docket to irregularly pay for services which were not rendered including awarding of bursaries to ghost students