Baringo Governor Benjamin Cheboi has ordered payment of all County contractors before Christmas.
Cheboi ordered the finance department to ensure that all service providers that have proper documentation be paid their dues.
“Anybody who has offered a service to the county in the right way and according to the law will be paid before Christmas,” assured the governor.
The governor was responding to the Baringo County Assembly Speaker Vincent Kemboi during this year’s Jamuhuri day celebrations at the Kabarnet Museum grounds who put the executive to task on payment of pending bills.
Kemboi declared the formation of ad hoc committees by the assembly to investigate the matter of pending bills in the county
Mr Kemboi said the problem was monumental and goes all the way to Governor Cheboi’s first term in 2013 and also during his successor Mr Stanley Kiptis’s time.
“Mr Governor, we have a big problem, we have our contractors who have delivered services to the county government and have not been paid,” said Mr Kemboi.
He said that the county assembly members had agreed that they form an ad hoc committee to investigate the pending bills issues.
“We are calling on all citizens who are owed by the county for supplies and services to come to the committee that will seat for three months and present their documents so that we can get a solution,” added the speaker.
He said it was unfair for a contractor to deliver the service which are being utilised by wananchi and go without being paid.
The speaker also warned county staff involved in embezzling of county revenue to resign within sixty days or they face the wrath of another ad hoc committee which will investigate low revenue collection in the county.
“There are some business people who are not paying revenue in this county and for that we are going to form another ad hoc committee to know who they are and take appropriate action,” warned the speaker.
He called for the governor’s support in the investigation asking him to allow for disciplining of county staff found culpable of embezzling county revenue.
The event was marked with low turnout with area Member of County Assembly Earnest Kibet calling for proper mobilisation in future national days’ celebrations.
“I had important matters to say but when I look here its only children and the organisers, next time let’s mobilise well for these celebrations so that many people attend,” said Kibet
The leaders also called on the security team to investigate the recent spate of insecurity in Kabarnet town that had led to death of four people in the Kaprokonya area.
Members of the public were urged to register for the country’s universal health coverage, SHA, as the exercise had staggered at 12.5 per cent.
By Christopher Kiprop
