South Mugirango MP Sylvanus Osoro a key ally of William Ruto is walking a tight political rope amid a strong wind of hostility over massive graft in the NG-CDF projects initiated under his watch.
The area residents have also questioned why most of the projects allegedly unveiled by the DP in the constituency have failed to take off more than two years later. The MP’s conduct especially in matters of projects development across the constituency has exposed his scheme to allegedly mint millions of shillings through kickbacks from contractors close to him, and his close associates. The lawmaker is said to be fronting Sitycon Limited, a construction company associated to his relatives, to win plum tenders to construct roads and classrooms across the constituency.
According to documents, the company has George Kengere Onyiego, a brother of the MP and Mochari Mogaka as directors. The firm has been winning tenders despite a clear conflict of interest which bars MPs from fronting their companies or those of their relatives to bid for NG-CDF works. The company is accused of doing shoddy work but ends up being prioritised even in terms of payment, because of the MP’s close link. A social hall structure at Tabaka market done by Sitycon is said to be on the verge of collapse due to poor workmanship, despite the firm having been paid a total sum of Sh1.6 million in advance payment.
At Bogichoncho, the same company was awarded a plum tender to put up a structure at an exorbitant cost of Sh1.3 million. The residents have complained that the building does not meet the necessary technical specifications to guarantee safety measures, despite the contractor having been already issued with a certificate of completion even before the structure is finally finished. With Osoro in the eye of a storm likely to dim his star, a conflict has already emerged between him and management of schools where he is accused of bullying head teachers and boards of schools to agree to his demands.
Some teachers have reported unethical conduct by the MP to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission pleading for anti-corruption inquiries about the law maker known for allegedly deal-cutting habits and blackmailing public servants and businessmen. In a leaked audio clip, Osoro recently had a bitter exchange with the board chairman of Sare Primary School over uncompleted projects despite payments having been made to the contractor in full. In the audio, Osoro is heard rebuking the school head and the chairman for raising concern that the engineer had questioned the use of low grade materials that posed danger to the safety of learners. “That is not my work, follow the contractor. I cannot take responsibility even if the building collapses” Osoro told the hapless chairman who says the renovation works cost Sh1.3 million for three classes. Sare Primary School is one of the many schools across the constituency crying foul over the MP’s overbearing hand in the management of projects and clear conflict of interest. It has now emerged that the MP has a wellknit web that continues to milk money from the CDF kitty especially through construction of school classrooms which firms owned by his relatives control. The first-time lawmaker, has been allegedly refurbishing dilapidated classrooms across selected schools within the constituency at exorbitant costs in some cases more than double the costs of building and completing new classes.
Again the benefiting companies are those associated with the MP’s close relatives. The lawmaker is said to be intimidating and harassing school boards of management and principals to award contracts to firms associated to his relatives and in what looks like a wellknit scheme to get kickbacks. The MP has been allegedly interfering with the composition of boards of management of schools to plant his supporters and proxies to ensure his firms win bids for contracts.
“We are appealing to the Education CS George Magoha to investigate some of the schools boards, and weed out corrupt cartels, and put in place by the MP to steal from the schools,” said James Ondigi, a resident of Sare area.
Once he manages to influence the composition of the boards, the MP then makes proposals to fund school projects especially constructing new classrooms with aim of controlling the resources allocated to the projects. Sadly, it has now emerged, when school boards approve construction of classrooms, the management of NG-CDF under the MP goes ahead to renovate existing classrooms instead of constructing new ones. Once the NG-CDF board pays the contractors, the MP then collects his cut from the bidders he fronted to win the tenders in an elaborate scheme that could shock auditors. Osoro has sometimes been listing projects funded by the county government as his own projects when locals put him under pressure to justify his development records.
Most of the projects unveiled by Ruto in the constituency have failed to take off, more than two years down the line. The DP had in 2018 promised Sh50 million towards the construction of Etago Level-4 Hospital when he toured the facility but the money has never been forthcoming. Osoro becomes irritated whenever locals push him to explain what happened to the project. Ruto’s promise of a school bus for Nduru Girls Secondary School two years ago remains a pipedream amid claims the MP could have hijacked the procurement process.
The MP has been forced to fight off claims of using CDF money to buy second-hand buses which are then fabricated and bought for various schools within the constituency. The promise by the DP and the MP to construct the Etago-Ekona-Nyamaiya road to bitumen standard has not been actualised despite the road playing a crucial role in the sugar industry sector.
Aware of the many white elephant projects he initiated, the MP has decided to shun the constituency only turning to social media to communicate with locals from Nairobi. Sugarcane farmers have been forced to pay more to transport their cane from their farms to Trans Mara and Sony Sugar Factory amid poor state of roads in the area which are all under Kenya Rural Roads Authority.
“Most of the roads that are supposed to be used by cane farmers to deliver their products are under Kerra. We are shocked that this vocal MP is almost going home without doing anything to improve the state of the roads,” said Alfred Omenge, a resident of Nyamaiya township.
Recently, locals held demonstrations against the MP demanding the construction of the road and attributed the delays in the construction of the road to the MP’s disrespect of Uhuru Kenyatta since they are national government roads.The MP claims credit for roads done by the county government like those at Nyamarambe Township, Suguta-Kenuria road, Getare-Metaburo road, Nyangweta-Rianyamokeri roads, among others that done by the Kisii county government.
“It is a pity that the DP made far-reaching pledges, which are not materialising. The MP had lied to us that money for the road, would be in the current budget, but the estimates show that there is nothing,” said Joel Oramini, a resident of Ekonaaread.
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