In Summary
• Oira said the agency is yet to summon Ambrose Akuno, who is the West Asembo MCA.
• On Tuesday evening, the MCA said he had been offered the money, which was delivered to him by a colleague whom he claimed was acting as a proxy for the Executive.
West Asembo MCA Ambrose Akuno.
Image: DICKENS WASONGA
The Anti-graft agency has launched investigations following a Siaya MCA’s confession that he received a Sh150,000 bribe from the Executive to help approve the appropriation bill.
On Wednesday, EACC Nyanza/Western regional manager George Oira confirmed the matter is being probed.
” Yes I have even read the news. We are following up on it quickly,” he said in a text message.null
Oira said the agency is yet to summon Ambrose Akuno, who is the West Asembo MCA.
On Tuesday evening, the MCA said he had been offered the money, which was delivered to him by a colleague whom he claimed was acting as a proxy for the Executive.
He said the money was delivered to him at his home in Rarieda.
He further alleged that his colleagues had been given Sh290,000 each by the Executive to ensure that the bill sails through.
The West Asembo MCA claimed he only came to realise later that the money handed to him was a bribe, adding that he was unwell and thought the money was given to commiserate with him.
On whether he will return the Sh150,000 that he claims to have received, Akuno stated that he does not know the exact place to return it to.
However, on Wednesday, Siaya Governor Cornel Rasanga dismissed allegations he had compromised the MCAs as utter nonsense.
Speaker George Okode however declined to comment on the matter.null
Last Wednesday Okode defended the MCAs over the bribery allegations, terming them mere rumours.
A list had been doing rounds on social media last week of a section of Siaya MCAs who had allegedly been given bribes of up to Sh290,000 each by the governor’s office to facilitate the passage of the contentious bill.
Okede last Wednesday, at a press conference, said the MCAs would not have summoned the top county finance administrators to explain why statutory deduction had not been remitted if they had been compromised.
Siaya has been on the spot over failure to remit statutory deductions that amount to over Sh500 million.
The assembly has been reluctant to pass the appropriation bill that would allow the Executive to spend money allocated in the 2021-22 budget.
The assembly passed a Sh8.1 billion budget in June.
On Wednesday, the Controller of Budget said Siaya was among 10 counties that will not access money released to counties because it had failed to upload the budget on IFMIS.
It is this budget stalemate that the Executive and the assembly has been trying to address.
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