Bomet County first lady Saline Barchok is flaunting cash on status updates while the county’s constituents can’t afford food, medical bills and most schools have dilapidated buildings.
Her husband, Governor Hillary Barchok, who came into power through the ‘backdoor’ has been fiercely looting the county through the purchase of overpriced county furniture and procurement.
It is always in the minds of the former poor to try to flaunt their wealth to former friends who thought they’d never make it.
However, it would be great if these people such as Saline Barchok had invented something worth so as to justify the kind of money they flaunt, instead of finding it though easy schemes as looting from taxpayers.
That Gov Barchok is trying to loot to match his opponents in the 2022 general elections is not a joke. The overpriced tenders and purchases are not the only avenue he loots from.
put to task
Recently, Barchok was put to task to explain ‘a suspicious Sh939 million expenditure’ after the county government failed to provide adequate documents to justify the transaction.
The money was spent on the acquisition of goods and services, but the transaction raised queries because the county failed to classify the items.
For instance, the county expenditure on ‘specialised materials’ increased from Sh54.10 million the previous year to Sh186.97 million in the year under review.
The county’s expenditure on training rose from Sh47.43 million to Sh73.47 million and domestic travel expenses rose from Sh126.52 million to Sh83.76 over the one year period.
Kajwang invited the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission to probe the expenditures.
“These expenditures are suspicious and I don’t know if the governor you expect us to accept them. Some expenses cannot grow by Sh100 million in just one year,” Homabay Senator Moses Kajwang had said.
Barchok gets off easily by blaming the late Joyce Laboso and former governor Isaac Ruto.
