County education minister accuses former county boss of spreading a false narrative about Governor Joseph ole Lenku
By Jonathan Teikan
A county minister has accused former Governor David Nkedianye of embezzling public funds during his tenure, adding that he is seeking a comeback to continue looting public coffers.
Jeremiah ole Ncharo, the county education minister, made the allegations at the home of former County Public Service Board (CPSB) chairman John ole Moyaki, where he was a chief guest at the graduation ceremony of Peter Rorua, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Mathematics from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.
Ncharo said that during the previous regime, the local government was allocating Ksh40 million annually for bursaries to needy students, an amount that has now been increased to Ksh150 million by the current government.
“Where does the current regime get the money that the previous one did not get? It simply means that someone was looting the money and is now seeking a comeback to continue the looting,” said the minister.
Ncharo further accused the former county boss of spreading a false narrative about Governor Joseph ole Lenku. “The same individuals have been propagating claims that Lenku is dividing the community along clan lines, favouring some while side-lining the rest.”
He refuted the claims, noting that a majority of the people holding key positions in both the national and county governments are members of the clans reported to be “side-lined”.
On this matter, Governor Lenku sought to put the record straight during the November 2 homecoming ceremony of Moyaki, following his appointment to the prestigious National Police Service Commission.
At the event, attended by thousands of residents, the governor said: “The main drivers of divisive politics in our county are the staff themselves.” whom he alleged ganged up to claim that certain clans were being targeted. Instead, he said, they should take their individual responsibilities seriously lest “punitive measures” be taken against them.
Lenku then vowed to spare no effort to ensure that public servants toe the line in accordance with their duties.
The governor spoke against the backdrop of Cabinet reshuffles and the September 3 “unprocedural” dismissal of Philip Murkuku from the county lands registry.
In an exclusive interview, Murkuku, who is reputed for initiating landmark land reforms — including the digitisation of the lands registry that has seen several devolved units visit Kajiado for benchmarking — told the Kajiado Star that he was ordered to leave the office by Lands Chief Officer Douglas Konana. “I respected his order and left without questioning.”
The former lands registrar said about four months down the line, he is yet to know the reason for his ouster, and sought to clear the air by saying that he has never had any known personal difference with Konana.
Attempts to reach Konana were fruitless as he declined to respond to our queries.
A majority of the residents, however, have bought into the idea peddled by the governor’s critics that Konana acted on “an order from above” in instructing Murkuku to quit his job, ostensibly for political considerations.
Besides the clan factor, Murkuku is among the staff that the current regime inherited from the previous administration.
Among other leaders present at the graduation were CPSB vice chair Purity Sein, newly-appointed member Justus Lesiamon, and Kajiado County Youth Alliance chairman Robert Lempaso.
