This archive report was first published on 25 July 2019.
On July 25, 2019, Governor Khaemba's administration in Trans Nzoia County was rocked by allegations of corruption involving the county's MCA for Machewa, Jeff Wambalaba.
According to sources, Wambalaba allegedly demanded kickbacks from the county's education kitty in collaboration with the county executive committee member in charge of education.
The alleged corruption came to light after the bursary committee vetted applicants for the first disbursement and presented the list to the ward administrator as per the law.
However, Wambalaba reportedly became upset when he realized that all funds had been spent without considering his share, sources said.
He allegedly quarreled with the bursary committee members and the ward administrator, saying, 'Where is my Sh300,000 cheque? Hamjui nakula na mkubwa (You don’t know that I eat with boss)'. The committee tried to convince Wambalaba to meet and iron out the issue, but he instead targeted the committee members.
Wambalaba allegedly replaced the committee members secretly without due process, and the ward administrator was transferred to another ward to avoid further conflict.
Already, forms for the second disbursement are in circulation, raising concerns about the integrity of the bursary program.
