Last week, detectives from Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) launched investigations into missing millions in Siaya county.
Junior and senior staff in Siaya county government, some who were suspended by governor Cornell Rasanga, were grilled by DCI sleuths at the Kisumu County DCI offices for three days last week.
The staff was put to task to account for Ksh600 million missing funds that had crippled operations in Siaya county.
64 members of county staff were summoned over their involvement in the alleged fraud as it emerged that some individual bank accounts were used to transact the millions of shillings.
DCI chief investigation officer Mike King’oo while talking to the press confirmed that his officers had pitched camp in Kisumu from Tuesday November 23rd to Thursday November 25th.
The investigation by DCI was concluded by the interrogation of three top officials who reportedly bore the highest responsibility in the loss that has seen most operations of the county being crippled.
Among those questioned on Thursday include; Chief Finance Officer Dennis Nyonje, Finance Director Michael Ogolla and cashier Dennis Simiyu, the trio had been suspended by Rasanga.
Also summoned was a proprietor of a hotel and an aspirant for a political seat in Kisumu county after some payments to the hotel were flagged.
The Ksh600 million scandal was brought to the fore in August 2021 when West Asembo MCA Ambrose Akuno admitted to receiving Ksh150,000 to conceal corruption issues in Siaya county.
According to Akuno, Siaya MCAs were given between Ksh150,000 to Ksh290,000 by proxies in Rasanga’s office to cover up the misappropriation of funds.
The West Asembo MCA revealed that the Ksh150,000 bribe was handed over to him by a section of his colleagues when they visited him when he had been admitted in hospital.
“I thought that the money was a contribution to support my medication but later realized it was a trick to silence me since I have been the most vocal on corruption matters within the county,” Ambrose Akuno was quoted by Nation.
The Siaya MCAs were allegedly bribed after they refused to pass the county’s Appropriation Bill for the year ending 2020/2021.
The MCAs refused to bass the Bill because the governor’s office couldn’t explain why there was no explanation as to why bursaries had not been released, Project Management Committee monies not paid and statutory deductions not remitted.
The monies from the mentioned functions was the Ksh600 million that was misappropriated by the Siaya county government.
Word reaching reaching our desk indicates that Rasanga has since fled to Turkey to avoid imminent arrest over the missing millions.
A source who spoke to this site on condition of anonymity said that Rasanga traveled to Turkey under the guise of seeking specialized treatment.
Apparently the Siaya governor learnt that DCI would arrest him after completing their investigations last week, and decided to play cat and mouse game with detectives.
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