A Senate committee has petitioned the Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission (EACC) to investigate top county officials over the mysterious fires that have burned down procurement and finance offices in at least five counties.
The Senate Committee on Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations claimed that senior finance and procurement officers could be culpable for the fires that have seen crucial financial documents reduced to ashes.
Further, the committee chaired by Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang’ wants the devolved units to put in place risk management frameworks and policies to mitigate against such incidences.
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“I want to order that we do a letter to EACC to investigate the officers who have given us the impression that there could be unethical and integrity questions in terms of concealment of evidence or destruction of the documents,” Senator Kajwang ruled on Tuesday, September 22.
Kajwang's ruling comes after the committee received what it termed as ‘unconvincing’ responses on the causes of the infernos from some five counties that have each witnessed such incidences since 2013.
The affected counties are Migori, Kitui, Homa Bay, Busia, Kisumu, and the latest casualty, Kisii County.
The committee had written to the counties to provide information on the causes of the fire and any mitigating measures to aid its investigations into the mysterious infernos that have only targeted either procurement or finance offices.
Nominated Senator Abshiro Halake (Isiolo) had sought a statement from the committee previously chaired by Laikipia Senator John Kinyua on the cause of the fires and how they can be ended.
According to responses filed and presented to the committee by the five counties, the devolved units said that the incidences are still under investigation by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.
“The fire incident was reported to DCI and the investigations are ongoing. The final report will help in ascertaining cause of the fire and also determine the action to be taken,” a letter by Kisumu County Finance CEC George Okong’o reads in part.
Okong’o disclosed that items, including chairs, extension cables, cabinet, printers and photocopiers among other items worth Sh2.1 million were destroyed in the February 10, 2020 incident.
In Kitui, County Secretary Joshua Chepchieng wrote to the committee saying that the fire that gutted down their Treasury and nearby offices on the night of July 21 and 22, was still under investigations by sleuths.
On his part, Busia Governor Sospeter Ojaamong said that the county disaster management team did not establish the cause of the fire that burnt down county finance offices on the night of September 24 and 25.
“At the time of occurrence, some security lights were not functioning hence increasing the chances of anyone accessing the compound especially during the odd hours of the night,” reads the letter by the governor.
In Homa Bay, Isaiah Ogwe, the county secretary said in a letter to the nine-member panel that investigations into the cause of the fire were completed and a suspect was arraigned.
He said that the county government has put in place mitigating measures, including the acquisition of two fire engines, installation of CCTV cameras, and acquisition of fireproof cabinets, and preparation of risk management policy.
In Migori, embattled Governor Okoth Obado disclosed that the DCI had concluded investigations but its report did not assign culpability on any particular person responsible for the fire.
“The fire could have been caused by electric fault since after the first fire was put off, the second building caught fire after two hours,” Obado told the committee in a letter, referring to the DCI report.
While expressing its dissatisfaction, it said the responses by the counties were vague and could not be believed or relied upon.
“There is a saying in our community that if you still in your own house, there is recourse because you know where everything is located,” Senator Halake.
