The 9th Devolution Conference in Homa Bay turned dramatic after Kitui County Chief Officer for Cooperatives, Paul Monyi Ngei, was allegedly caught in a heated altercation with his official driver over Ksh 45,000 meant for fuel.
Reliable sources within the county delegation confided to Channel 15 News that the money, facilitated by the county for fuel, was allegedly snatched from the driver by the Chief Officer himself. This left the driver unable to account for the funds, sparking a tense standoff within the Kitui delegation.
The drama forced Chief Officer for Finance, Revenue Management and Accounting, John Makau Kimwele, to intervene and reportedly order Ngei to return the contested cash after the driver insisted he had been left with nothing to account for.
Further revelations indicate that Ngei was not traveling alone — he had allegedly tagged along his wife, who also serves as a village administrator, using the same official vehicle to attend the Homa Bay event.
A senior insider at the county government, who requested anonymity, told Channel 15 News that the incident is part of a disturbing trend:
“Cases of harassment of junior officers by senior officials are becoming common. Unfortunately, the Governor and the County Secretary appear to be in the dark.”
Efforts to obtain a right of reply from Chief Officer Ngei were unsuccessful, as our calls went unanswered by the time of going to press.
The scandal, now exposing how junior officers are allegedly bullied and stripped of county resources, has ignited calls for independent investigations by oversight bodies such as the EACC and the DCI. With fresh allegations of misuse of public funds emerging, questions are mounting on whether Kitui County’s leadership is prepared to take decisive action — or if impunity will continue to thrive unchecked.
