On this WW1 commemoration scandal, the buck stops with governor Mwadime

The commemoration of the World War 1 event in Taita-Taveta County is among the few that have attracted national and even international interest because of its historical relevance.

That the WW1 was fought and virtually ended in Taita-Taveta is enough reason for this kind of event to be held in the county.

Historical sites such as Salaita( derived from the English term slaughter) Hill in Taveta and the famous baobab in its neighborhood where a German woman soldier snipper hid as she brought down British soldiers under a hail of bullets, should be protected and jealously guarded.

Add to these the Commonwealth War graves in Voi, Maktau and Taveta which hold the remains of British soldiers who died in the war and it becomes clear that this is an event worth attracting international attention.

When the county governments came into existence, the first commemoration of these events began under the first governor John Mruttu and has been going on to-date.

However, barely three months after Andrew Mwadime became the third governor the event has been tarnished by allegations of misuse of funds, being put at about Sh4m.

Despite the event having attracted personalities held in high esteem including British High Commissioner Jean Mariot, a few greedy and myopic county officials of the newly elected government saw an opportunity to line their pockets.

It must be borne in mind that the four officials who were fingered in the scandal are the governor’s appointees, who unlike other appointees who go through vetting by the county assembly, got into their jobs hassle- free.

That could have made them develop an attitude of entitlement and forgot that they were also obliged to be accountable for their actions.

On the other hand governor Mwadime remained mum over the allegations that were flying around concerning misuse of the funds set aside for the event , until media, both mainstream and social, highlighted the scandal extensively.

This forced governor Mwadime to reluctantly send the four officers on compulsory leave, pending investigations which many suspect have never been carried out.

Having come out from the highly discredited government of Olele Boys at the behest of Granton Samboja, Datuzens would not have expected the new government to be caught up in such a mess so soon.

In fact the unfolding events point to a well choreographed scheme to ensure that the four officials circumvent the law and continue with their duties.

It’s instructive to note that the authority who sent the four on compulsory leave through a written statement was the county secretary Pamphil Mwashinga.

As many would have expected, this is the same authority who would have instructed them to return to work after investigations found them faultless.

Sadly the four “pilau scandal musketeers” returned to work unobtrusively without any evidence of an authority who had given them a clean bill of health.

The arrogance that they exhibited is in itself baffling. The four refused to honour summons by the County Assembly to shed light on the funds misuse issue, saying that they had been instructed not to honour the summons , yet they could not say who gave them such instructions unless it’s the county secretary who sent them on leave in the first place.

This has cast Mwadime’s government in very bad light and portrays him as indecisive and malleable leader who cannot stand on his two feet in the face of a crisis.

As a matter of fact it must be pointed out that eventually this scandal will leave a major bloat in Wakujaa’s administration unless it’s amicably addressed.

They say a fish rots from the head down and that head is none other than gover- nor Mwadime. Protecting officials involved in misuse of county funds is in itself and admission of the fact that he is not serious about tackling the vice.

As the appointing authority the buck stop with Mwadime. He should wake up and smell the coffee. One cannot hide behind indiscretion for too long. This scandal must be unraveled and the culprits punished. Anything less than this a blow to Wakujaa government that could have far reaching repercussions. et