By Andrew Irumba
Manafwa: Residents of Bukusu division in Manafwa district were on Friday evening treated to free drama as the police arrested their Sub-County Chief over allegations of sabotaging government programmes and failure to account for Shs20M.
Cyrus Mabonga was arrested on the orders of the Resident District Commissioner Ahmad Washaki, following a verification exercise which established several anomalies in the distribution of heifers to beneficiaries in the area.
Mabonga was arrested for failing to account for Shs20m meant for the purchase of heifers to be distributed to farmers under the Operation Wealth Creation Program.
The RDC established that the Sub-County received Shs37.5m for procurement of heifers which were valued at Shs1m each. However, the verification team established that the Sub-county leaders bought poor quality heifers valued at under Shs500,000 and couldn’t account for the rest of the money.
The team also established that each of the beneficiaries paid Shs300,000 before being given the heifers. It was also established that Mabonga, together with the Sub County Chairperson Jackson Kayembe, had distributed the heifers before verification by the District Veterinary Officer.
Washaki said that the two face charges of extortion and sabotaging government programs, to wit the Operation Wealth Creation.
Godfrey Nalyaya, one of the beneficiaries said “I was told by Mabonga and chairman Kayembe to pay Shs360,000 before receiving the heifer, yet the money used to buy it had been given to us by government.”
Samson Wekhale, the supplier of the heifers says that the supplies were all in response to the Local Purchase order -LPO given to him by the sub-county chief. However, investigations into the matter are still ongoing, after which the suspects will be produced in court to face the charges lodged against them.
