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Citizen Weekly

Sunday 26 April 2015

Vihiga reps shake as auctioneers hover ominously

A row has erupted between embattled Vihiga county assembly clerk Josephat Musambayi and MCAs over nonpayment of car and mortgage loans.
Musambayi accused the 39 ward representatives of failure to repay car mortgage loans advanced to them last year. The clerk has written to the MCAs a letter demanding surrender of car logbooks and land title deeds presented as security for the loans for evaluation.
He has threatened to withdraw May salaries of MCAs who fail to present the documents before April 27 2015. Musambayi said valuers are scheduled to start their valuation work during the long recess starting in May.
The MCAs were each advanced Sh2,000,000 car loans and Sh3,000,000 mortgage loans. The clerk said the MCAs will meet valuation costs and insurance cover for the loans.
But the MCAs read mischief in Musambayi’s letter demanding for the documents and maintained that they have been repaying the loans. Addressing the press, leader of majority David Ogova and minority leader Stephen Amuhinda instead demanded that Musambayi who is facing a fraud case in a Kakamega court steps aside from office until he is cleared by the court.
Ogova and Amuhinda who were accompanied by other MCAs accused Musambayi of failing to submit financial statements on the car and mortgage loans. They further accused him of failure to present the budget proposal to the assembly service board for approval and purchasing vehicles unprocedurally.
The MCAs charged that Musambayi travelled with six members of the assembly on a recent visit to Singapore without approval of the assembly service board and failing to pay workers while spending money on unnecessary lavish trips and intimidating workers. By the time of going to press, the MCAs were holed up in a Kamukunji whose agenda, sources said was suspension of the clerk.

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