When Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua raised Sh14.5 million for the 77 victims of the Londiani Junction accident last year, it was a relief to the bereaved and those whose members survived the horrific crash.
Those whose relatives died in the Kericho crash hoped the money would help them offset funeral expenses, after Kericho Governor Erick Mutai announced that his administration would pay for medical and funeral expenses.
Gachagua also announced at the fundraising event in Londiani on July 4 last year that each of the families whose relatives died in the June 30, 2023 accident would receive Sh300,000 while those who sustained injuries would receive Sh200,000.
But unbeknownst to the families, it was the beginning of a circus between the county government and them that is now threatening to end the career of County Secretary Wesley Bor, who was the chairman of the committee in charge of disbursing the funds.
The families are now accusing Dr Bor's team of "dancing on the graves of the accident victims" by retaining and misappropriating the money.
Daniel Langat, whose younger brother Patrick Langat died in the accident, said they had been subjected to suffering. Patrick was a hawker at the Londiani junction and was killed while going about his business.
“Due to the bad state of our late brother’s body, we had to bury it in a hurry after transferring it from Londiani hospital to a private morgue in Kericho town for preservation,” Daniel said.
Patrick was buried on July 5, 2023, a day after Gachagua held the fundraiser.
“We turned up at the fundraising in the hope that the money would be distributed the same day as the number of victims was known and most had been identified. But it turned out we had to wait for several days before getting the first instalment,” Daniel said.
“Instead of releasing the money to the bereaved families, they chose to take it to Kericho. We did not expect to profit from the death but the money was to ease the financial pressure on the affected families. It appears some people had other plans with the money.”
It took about a week for the money to be released after a red flag was raised by Deputy Governor Fred Kirui, causing a storm that led to Dr Bor and members of his team being summoned to the county assembly to answer questions.
“We received Sh90,000 after one week and Sh110,000 almost a month later after we were summoned to Kericho and asked to give out bank account numbers where the funds would be channelled,” Daniel said.
David Koskei, a resident of Kipkoiyo village, whose wife Winnie died in the accident, had a similar experience.
“We were taken around in circles before receiving the proceeds from the fundraising. We do not know what happened as we heard there was an issue with accounting, which was not properly explained,” he said.
Koskei said the families wanted to put the matter behind them and that it was interesting that exactly a year after the burial, the matter had come up again.
“If there were any malpractices, then the ones involved should be dealt with accordingly. As for us, we want to get over it and move on. We are adjusting to the absence of our loved ones in our lives,” said Koskei.
Dr Bor’s impeachment has caused jitters among senior officials in the executive arm of the devolved government.
Dr Bor is set to face the Assembly in a battle for his career after 40 MCAs last Tuesday unanimously backed a motion by Kapsaos MCA Paul Bii to have him impeached.
Bor is facing allegations of gross violation of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010, the County Assemblies Powers and Privileges Act and the Leadership and Integrity Act.
Bii claimed that Bor was facing investigations by both the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) for underhand dealings while holding public office.
Five other officials – two County Executive Committee (CEC) members and three chief officers – were named in the alleged misappropriation of Sh14.5 million collected by DP Gachagua for Londiani road accident victims.
Last year, the MCAs recommended the dismissal of five officials for alleged misappropriation of the funds. They are: CEC for Finance and Economic Planning Leonard Ngetich and CEC for Health Brenda Bii, Chief Officer in the Governor's Office Alphonce Rotich, Chief Officer for Public Service Management Bettsy Chebet Tonui and Chief Officer for Finance Gilbert Bii.
All five officials were found guilty of forgery, professional negligence, breach of procurement rules, abuse of office, misappropriation of funds, non-disclosure of information, lack of transparency and accountability, and flouting the Public Finance Management Act.
“There is a lot of tension in the executive arm of government following the impeachment process of the county secretary. Senior officers are literally on their toes,” said a senior director at the county who asked not to be named.
“With the scandal having reared its ugly head, there is real fear that it may claim the senior officers previously implicated with Dr Bor over misappropriation of the money meant for accident victims,” the director said.
