County Assembly of Vihiga Speaker Chris Omulele has hit back at the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission over the recent raid at the assembly offices on Thursday.
EACC has said it is investigating over Sh200 million worth of mortgage and car loan funds by Assembly Officials, Members of Count Assembly (MCAs) and staff.
Omulele while commenting on the matter for the first time since the raid dismissed claims of corruption in the assembly saying they have collaborated with the EACC in the ongoing probe.
“We as an Assembly have fully complied by giving members all the Mortgage (36 Members and Speaker and the Clerk). This has been fully disbursed and the members of County Assembly are currently fully servicing the said loans,” Omulele stated in his statement.
“The EACC has on several occasions requested documents regarding the said car loan and mortgage account which documents we have been religiously and diligently supplying to them through their Kisumu regional office.
At the same time, Omulele denied reports of the senior officials of the county assembly being arrested.
The speaker said the Assembly is yet to receive any official communication from the commission on any arrest of their staff.
There were claims that Vihiga County Assembly Clerk Ambaka Kilinga and the finance officer Oscar Jagona had been arrested.
"Contrary to the media reports none of the said officers was arrested as incorrectly reported and no members of the committee have been called for interrogation regarding the said car loan and mortgage fund," Omulele added.
He described as political the EACC probe as saying it was wrong for the commission to declare the County Assembly offices a crime scene.
"We can't brand the Assembly of Vihiga County as a crime scene when we haven't established the crimes," Omulele said.
"What is happening within the Assembly of Vihiga is a political war that is set to tarnish the image of Vihiga County Assembly."
Omulele stated that MCAs are entitled to car reimbursement and mortgage which he said they are currently servicing.
He said the fund is processed through the Vihiga County Assembly Car Loan and Mortgage Committee which is duly established by the Act of Vihiga County Assembly.
"We have on previous occasions supplied all the documentation regarding the Car Loan vide EACC/SKM/6/15/4/VOL (ii)/24 dated 23/10/2023 and availed on 25/10/23 to the EACC,” Omulele stated.
"We hope the EACC shall establish if indeed the Ksh.300 million was granted to Vihiga County Assembly as alleged and hold whoever they claim to be responsible for the said loss to account."
EACC obtained Court orders on December 20 2023 on the basis that they have full information of massive embezzlement of public funds at the County Assembly of Vihiga.
The order saw them search offices in the county in a bid to establish facts and documents over the matter.
But Omulele avers that the use of force during the search was unnecessary considering that they have been supplying them with documents they need since 2014.
“We beseech EACC to act in accordance with law if need be we shall avail any Officer they intend to arrest/prosecute. However we condemn the action of sending a platoon of armed policemen to break into the County Assembly to effect execution of the Search Warrant whereas the Vihiga county assembly has never failed to provide any document upon request by the said institution since the year 2014," he said.
He added:
"What is happening currently in the assembly is the external force that he won’t comment on at the moment but after the outcome of the said investigations."