Council of Governors During Their Latest Retreat. Photo/Courtesy
Nandi Senator Kiprotich Cherargei has accused the county governor of deliberately avoiding accountability over alleged financial mismanagement, following a Daily Nation report that revealed county bosses’ refusal to appear before a Senate committee.
In a statement on X, Cherargei singled out Governor Sang, alleging that he is at the forefront of governors defying the Senate’s County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC).
“Governor Sang is leading the governors who have refused to be held ACCOUNTABLE for the money allocated to Nandi County because he knows he has done nothing in terms of development in our county,” Cherargei wrote, citing violations of Articles 96, 229, and Chapter Six of the Constitution on leadership and integrity.
The senator outlined a series of financial and administrative irregularities in the county. Key among them is the payroll scandal, which allegedly consumed over Ksh 3.3 billion—44% of Nandi County’s budget—through favouritism and nepotism.
Cherargei noted that while the county originally listed 4,884 employees, only 2,999 remain on the payroll, leaving 1,885 unexplained.
Other areas of concern, according to Cherargei, include stalled health projects such as Kapsengere, Chepterwai, Kapsabet Mother and Baby Unit, and Kobujoi Sub-County Hospital.
He also raised issues over inadequate staffing and chronic drug shortages in county hospitals.
Cherargei further highlighted mismanagement in infrastructure and service delivery, citing the poor state of roads despite a Ksh 651 million allocation, unaccounted borehole drilling worth Ksh 18.9 million, and unjustified spending of Ksh 42 million on car hire services despite the county owning vehicles.
Additional allegations include Ksh 41.9 million spent on private lawyers, Ksh 114.5 million on fuel and lubricants with no accountability, stalled construction of the County Governor’s office, and pending bills totaling Ksh 782 million.
Revenue mismanagement also featured prominently, with Cherargei questioning unaccounted cess from tea and sugar worth Ksh 124 million and unreleased earnings from the Kaimosi Agricultural Training Centre, which reportedly raised over Ksh 21 million.
He also pointed to non-disclosure of revenue from the county-owned Kiborgok Tea Estate.
Cherargei warned that the alleged mismanagement will not be allowed to continue.
“To all governors, accountability is not a privilege or favour but a constitutional obligation in line with leadership and integrity principles. What’s hard to account for is public money,” he said.
The Daily Nation report noted that governors’ refusal to appear before CPAC has triggered a standoff, with senators insisting they will continue pursuing transparency and stopping public funds from being misappropriated.