Petitioners, among them human rights activists have dipped Bungoma Governor Wycliffe Wangamati in hot water over what they have termed as failure to follow all the procedures as a public servant.
A petition seeking to impeach the Governor is yet to be tabled despite reaching the clerk’s office.
According to a local daily, the petition will be read on Tuesday next week when the assembly resumes sitting after recess.
It will thereafter be forwarded to the Public Administration Committee chaired by Kabuyefwe MCA Joan Lutukayi.
Last week, Bungoma human rights activist Moses Wanjala Lukoye petitioned the assembly to start impeachment proceedings against Wangamati and Deputy Governor Charles Ngome.
Lukoye from Maraka ward in Webuye East constituency argues that Wangamati has failed to follow all the procedures as a public servant.
He cited conflict of interest and alleged that Wangamati has abused public office by employing unqualified people. Lukoye was speaking to the Star after his petition was received by the Office of the Clerk.
“Wangamati unprocedurally and illegally employed all Ford Kenya party office bearers in very high job groups without following the due process. He also appointed eight advisers instead of three as recommended by the consortium of the then Transition Authority, the Salaries and Remuneration Commission and the Council of Governors in 2013,” the petition reads in part.
Lukoye accuses the governor of illegally creating offices such as Chief Officer in the Office of the Deputy Governor, Chief Officer in the Office of the County Secretary, deputy county secretary, county chaplain, investment secretary, deputy chief of staff, which are not necessary as per Section 60 of the County Government Act (2012).
The petition also accuses Wangamati of creating an unnecessary Service Delivery Unit, which, the petitioner says, is a duplication of the County Public Service Board and the county department of Public Administration and Management.
“Wangamati also allowed the county directors to be moved to the lower positions but at same job groups and creating room to give acting allowance to his cronies to misuse them for his personal gains especially in the revenue and procurement departments. He also moved the sub-county administrators to the county departments against the law and appointed junior officers to act, thus increasing the wage bill,” the petition says.
The lobbyist also wants the governor removed for “grossly violating the provisions of the Public Procurement and Disposal Act (2015), which requires that before a project is launched there must be financial provisions.
“He launched a dual carriageway from Musikoma to Kanduyi worth Sh1.3 billion but there is only a financial provision of Sh70 million. The road is also a KeNHA project that does not require county resources to be used on it,” Lukoye says.
Wangamati is also accused of violating Article 232 of the Constitution by creating the governor’s scholarship fund using public money without public participation, “which is not an effective and economic use of resources”.
He is further accused of giving scholarships without following the laid down procedures.
The petition also says Wangamati used public money to “treat” MCAs in Uganda, instead of holding such retreats in the country, “which is lack of economic use of resources because the retreat had no outcome”.
The petitioner wants all illegally created offices to be abolished and all those unprocedurally and illegally employed to be sacked and surcharged.
The county assembly has 60 days to present the petition to the floor of the House before it is forwarded to the relevant committee.