Safi news

Laikipia County Government has terminated leasing agreement between the Toyota Kenya Limited that was signed in June 2018 by the previous regime 

Speaking on Friday Morning 9th December, at Inooro FM, in their vernacular, Acting County Secretary Wahome Koinange, said the agreement was opaque and would have costed a whopping Sh 800M in the next five years 

The leased vehicles included a 20 fleet of Toyota Hilux Double Cabin hired at Sh 17,987 a day and one Toyota Prado at a daily cost of Sh 41,000- The monies according to our prior investigations was going to close relatives of the former Governor Ndiritu Muriithi- Safinews.co.ke can authoritatively report

According to the documents adduced by the County Government, a total of Sh 721,332,000 would have been spent by the end of five year lease agreement. A single pick-up would have cost the taxpayers sh 32,376,600 while Sh 73,800,000 would have been paid out for the Toyota Prado

Mr Koinange opened that the leasing agreement was signed through a third party and efforts to renegotiate directly with Toyota Kenya Limited has been in futility 

He said the county budget is strained and if it honours the terms of agreement, other critical services such as health delivery would be affected.

The official said it was not an abrupt decision and that the county government has in the last two months made efforts to renegotiate the contract.

In a separate interview Laikipia Governor Joshua Irungu confirmed the intrigues surrounding the leasing agreement and vowed to suspend it to safe millions of public coffers that would have gone into trenches through conduits

“Last Wednesday we signed an agreement with the local bank where financial institution will empower our youths through asset financing facilities to enable them acquire lorries, the same vehicles will then be leased out by the county government,” Said Governor Joshua Irungu. 

However, Governor Irungu noted that youths will form saccos and register with the banks, after securing loans to buy lorries that is when the county government will give them tenders 

“We shall be deducting interests to pay the said bank and pay our youths for the services rendered to the county government instead of giving them direct employments because there are so many deserving people against the available job markets within the county,” He added 

Irungu said that all 15 Wards in Laikipia County will benefit from the programme that his government is keen to rollout starting with the pilot programme in Mukogodo West Ward and Mukogodo East Ward 

“The Laikipia County Government team has held several meetings with the Toyota Kenya Limited team chaired by His Excellency the Deputy Governor Reuben Kamuri on September 12, 2022 and September 24, 2022. In the meeting both parties were given an opportunity to raise issues and respond. Sadly, and unexpectedly, Toyota Kenya Limited declined to grant or cooperate on all the reasonable requests made to them by the County Government of Laikipia,” confidential details  noted