MACHAKOS COUNTY NEWS

  Machakos Governor, Alfred Mutua states that the government looks in
the wrong direction in addressing economic problems
                   APRIL 5th 2014.
Machakos Governor Alfred  Mutua said this while inspecting the construction of a road in
his  county.
***********By SYLVESTER KIMEU************
The Government is looking in the wrong direction in
its attempt to address economic problems, Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua
has said.
Dr Mutua says the problem is not really the bloated wage bill, but
corruption and inflated cost of goods and services sold to the State.
“I was baffled when I joined the Government to learn that a pen that
goes for Sh10 was bought at about Sh100, while a house that needed Sh5
million to build would cost the Government Sh25 million,” he said.
Suppliers, he said, quote exorbitant prices, claiming they are covering
up for the slow payment by Government after goods or services are supplied.
“Why do funds to pay suppliers delay when it is very clear that you only
procure for the goods and services that are budgeted for? The delay is
stage-managed by the procurement officers in Government as a way to
extort money,” he said.
Mutua, a former Government spokesman, said this problem mostly affects
procurement offices in Government departments.
“We should not preach austerity, we need to exercise it ourselves. In
Machakos, we are making sure we get value for money, and that is how I
managed to invest in so many things at the same time,” he said.
The governor said he has saved up to Sh4.3 million by not buying new
cars for Machakos county executive officers.
Thriving cartelS
According to Mutua, it is possible for the national Government to verify
the goods or services provided and pay for them immediately to reduce
corruption and wastage. “In Machakos, we streamlined our auditing and
payment system so we can pay constructors within 24 hours after
finishing work, saving millions of shillings,” he said.
Mutua said the Government procurement process, which lays emphasis on
the lowest bidder, had allowed the cartels to thrive.






 


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