Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza has pledged a Sh10,000 reward to every whistleblower who will report errant county staff.
Speaking in Mitunguu on Friday, Governor Mwangaza said she was particularly keen on staff who use county vehicles to go on drinking sprees as well as revenue officers who pocket money.
The Meru Governor has reiterated that she intends to fight wastage of public resources and corruption as well as ensuring efficient service delivery.
Recently, the governor said she will establish a secret squad that will keep watch over staff to root out absenteeism and corruption.
“Those who are assigned government vehicles should release the drivers to go home when working hours are over. If you spot a county vehicle parked in a bar or club at night and report it to us, you will receive a reward of Sh10,000. I will personally give the money to the whistleblower once the vehicle is found and towed,” Ms Mwangaza said.
“We are the government. If you report any thief of public resources or a revenue officer pocketing collections, you will get the Sh10,000. I want to ensure every coin is accounted for to benefit residents who deserve services and development,” she said.
Ms Mwangaza earlier directed that suggestion boxes be placed in all county offices to ease anonymous reporting of any illegalities and irregularities in the county.
The governor, who earlier ordered an audit into the county fleet, said all grounded vehicles would be repaired immediately funds are available.
A private audit into the county fleet established that the devolved unit owes garages more than Sh72 million in pending bills for motor vehicle repairs and service.
“There are three vehicles valued at Sh9 million being held by a garage for a bill of Sh1.8 million. The vehicles that should be paid for by insurance were being charged to the county government. Some of the vehicles have been grounded since 2015 yet a comprehensive cover was being renewed annually,” the audit team lead James Muthomi said
Following the findings, Governor Mwangaza ordered that all grounded vehicles be towed to a county owned land for relevant action.
She said the DCI and EACC would immediately start investigating the illegalities discovered in the audit.
“Going forward, we should look for a cost effective way of repairing the grounded vehicles and dispose of those that cannot be repaired. My intention is to seal every loophole that has been used to siphon county resources,” Ms Mwangaza said.
She said the county would not procure any new vehicles after the audit indicated those available were sufficient.
She also called for a review of vehicle repair pending bills and insurance cover providers to address irregularities.
The governor directed that every department be allocated its vehicles and its officials be held accountable for their resources.
“Every department should have a budget for their fleet so that we know who is wasting what. We should also engage several insurance companies for efficiency,” the governor said.
