The Kericho County Assembly has leveled accusations against Governor Eric Mutai, claiming he exploited his office to intimidate and demean employees, at times compelling them to provide financial contributions in exchange for job security.
During Senate proceedings, two former county officials testified that the Governor persistently pressured them to send money for his fundraisers and other unspecified emergencies linked to his role.
One of the witnesses, Ms. Edna Tanui, a former County Executive Committee (CEC) member, told Senators that over her two-year tenure she contributed about Sh1.5 million to the Governor’s initiatives. She alleged the payments were made under pressure.
Ms. Tanui and her fellow CECs were abruptly dismissed on December 23, 2024, via a post on the Governor’s official Facebook page. While the Governor justified the move as part of a “government reorganization,” Ms. Tanui insisted she believed her dismissal stemmed from her refusal to meet the Governor’s repeated financial demands.
“I now understand why I was removed. Although it was framed as a restructuring order, I strongly suspect it was because I declined to keep funding his activities,” she testified.
Records presented before the Senate indicate that only Sh300,000 of the alleged Sh1.5 million can be traced directly to the Governor’s mobile account. When questioned by Senators and the Governor’s legal team about the missing Sh1.2 million, Ms. Tanui said the additional payments were handed to the Governor’s aides — Robinson Kiplagat and Renny Kipsang Ngetich.
“If given time, I can retrieve conversations with the Governor that prove this,” she added, noting that such evidence would require a court order to compel Safaricom to release call logs.
Financial records tabled before the House also revealed separate deposits to Ms. Tanui’s M-Pesa account: Sh50,000 from Paul Misik, Sh10,000 from Janet Koech, and another Sh10,000 from Beatrice Kiptanui.
However, Senators raised doubts about the claims. Senator Danson Mungatana pressed Ms. Tanui to explain the discrepancy, pointing out that her testimony did not conclusively prove that Sh1.5 million reached the Governor. “How exactly was the money delivered?” he asked.
Senator Okongo Omogeni sought clarification on the identities of the individuals who deposited money into Ms. Tanui’s account, questioning whether she was merely a conduit for the Governor.
Senator Godfrey Osotsi suggested that the funds in question could even be linked to corruption and challenged the witness to disclose the true source.
Another witness, Mr. Kipngeno Bett, testified that Governor Mutai often phoned him with direct demands for cash.
“He would call and insist I send him money. I had no idea where he expected me to get it,” Bett said, adding that the Governor once berated him in front of his family, calling him “ungrateful” for not contributing.
Both Bett and Tanui told the Senate that they sent the money from their personal savings, stressing that although no official obligation existed, they felt compelled to comply to avoid the Governor’s verbal attacks.
A third witness, Mr. Alfred Mutai Korir, shifted the focus to the Assembly’s internal systems, defending the integrity of its digital voting platform. He assured Senators that the system was secure and could not be tampered with by unauthorized persons.
