jasdooit

• A collection of Machakos County Assembly Members (MCAs) expressed worries regarding the reported acquisition of empty bags
• As per MCAs, the county is said to have acquired 9,760 airtight bags for an impressive KSh 23.4 million.
• In reply, Stephen Mwanthi, the deputy speaker of the Machakos County Assembly, supported Wavinya Ndeti’s leadership.

Machakos County authorities are facing scrutiny after being accused of buying grain storage bags at a cost ten times greater than the prevailing market rate.

As they examined a report presented to the Machakos County Assembly Environment, Water and Natural Resources Committee, members of the County Assembly were surprised by the costs and requested explanations from local authorities regarding a program aimed at empowering farmers and addressing climate change.

What was the price of Machakos empty sacks?

As per the report referenced by the MCAs, the county is said to have acquired 9,760 airtight bags for an impressive KSh 23.4 million.

The document stated that each farmer received one bag, with the project’s expenses already covered.

Hermetic containers represent a breakthrough in which standard nylon grain sacks are equipped with a unique inner layer that safeguards the grains from deterioration and deters post-harvest insects.

The leader of the minority in the legislative house, Francis Kavyu, said that donating the bags to farmers was a welcome move, but raised concerns with the valuation and expenditure of donor grants and government money invested in the project.

“It’s a quality bag, and I’m sure farmers can confirm it’s fulfilling its role. I don’t have any issues with the quality, dimensions, or design of the bag. This bag is priced between KSh 200 and KSh 250 in the market. Why did the county set the price at KSh 2,400 per bag, which is ten times the actual value?” Kavyu questioned.

As per Kavyu, the bags, referred to as ‘magic bags,’ had to be managed properly, stating that not truthfully explaining the use of donor funds and public money was a violation of the law.

He compared the bag scandals to the 2014 case involving cancer-causing wheelbarrows, in which Bungoma Governor Ken Lusaka faced scrutiny for spending KSh 90,000 on a single wheelbarrow.

“I call on the Senate, the Auditor General, and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission to start investigations to reveal those involved in what appears to be open-day theft. We cannot afford to lose donors due to these incidents,” he stated.

The MCA urged the identification of the suppliers involved in the magic bags to investigate the deeper aspects of the suspicious transactions with local officials.

Additional concerns raised by the MCAs involved the acquisition of cassava cuttings for 200 families at a cost of KSh 650,000, the distribution of traditional crop seeds and tubers amounting to KSh 13.9 million, and the allocation of 1,148 branded 10,000 litre water tanks to 14 institutions for KSh 14.4 million.

The contested document also stated that the county provided tree saplings to 8,000 farmers for a total expense of KSh 8 million.

All the funds in question have been disbursed, and the projects have been declared finished by those responsible, according to the report.

Dominic Maitha, MCA Muthwani stated that the numbers required investigation to identify the individuals involved in the suspicious allocations and related spending.

“Spending KSh 650,000 to acquire sweet potato vines, cassava tubers, and pumpkin seeds, which are typically provided at no cost or for a very low fee, is doubtful,” Maitha stated.

Deputy speaker supports Machakos county

Nevertheless, Deputy Speaker of the Machakos County Assembly, who is also Ekalakale MCA Stephen Mwanthi, stood by the county administration in response to the concerns outlined in the report.

He blamed individuals who voiced worries for deliberately highlighting parts of the report to serve their own agendas.

“There is no such expense. The cost of the bags is in the hundreds, and this fact will be verified. The community has gained from the earth dams, water pans, and weirs constructed under the project, although some individuals did not review the report’s recommendations,” stated Mwanthi.

The Wiper Democratic Front selected MCA Hellen Ndeti, while also rejecting the report mentioned in the assembly as false and modified, alleging that those who raised concerns about the spending lack honesty.

In an interview with a local television station, Ndeti mentioned that the official documents she reviewed indicated that 48,800 airtight bags were purchased and given out to 9,760 farmers across all wards in Machakos.

“Each ward received 1,200 bags, with an extra 760 bags given to farmers. The overall breakdown of spending compared to what we purchased shows that each bag cost KSh 480, which is a standard market price, not KSh 2,400 as mentioned in the report circulated by some individuals aiming to paint the leadership in a bad light,” Ndeti stated.

She cautioned that MCAs should avoid spreading propaganda in their efforts to advance personal interests, noting that the public relies on them for honesty.