This archive report was first published on 4 December 2019.
Embu County Assembly has called for investigations into corruption within the county's finance department, specifically under the leadership of Chief Officer for Finance Ruth Ndirangu.
According to the assembly, Sh200 million went missing during Ndirangu's tenure as accounting officer, with Governor Martin Wambora's support and protection.
Majority Leader Michael Njeru alleged that Ndirangu made irregular payments of Sh60 million for the acquisition of two parcels of land in the Mwea Settlement Scheme, which belonged to the county government.
Instead of purchasing the land from private owners, the county bought its own land parcels, with payments made to Njeru Ithiga and Co Advocates (Sh23 million) and Njue and Co Advocates (Sh37 million).
Ndirangu also withdrew an imprest of Sh22 million in cash and paid it to three officers involved in land demarcation at the Mwea Settlement Scheme, violating the Public Finance Management Act and the Constitution.
Furthermore, it was discovered that Ndirangu secretly operated an undisclosed bank account for the Runyenjes Level Four Hospital, contrary to the Public Finance Management Act, with Sh15 million in the account at the time of discovery.
The county assembly has also raised concerns over questionable pending bills worth Sh1.4 billion and Ndirangu's failure to implement an approved budget on the e-Revenue system, despite paying over Sh43 million to three firms.
