Governor Wanga finds fleet of disabled vehicles, must buy more

Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga will have a difficult start in her government as some county officials have cited lack of vehicles as a hindrance to service delivery.

The devolved unit lacks vehicles that officials can use to monitor development activities.

Some of the officials have asked Ms Wanga to procure new vehicles or repair grounded ones.

This means the governor will have to spend millions of shillings to buy new cars or repair dilapidated ones that members of her predecessor Cyprian Awiti’s cabinet used.

Few cabinet members in Homa Bay, including executive committee members and chief officers, use their official cars.

Most of them resorted to using their personal vehicles after official ones broke down and started collecting dust at repair yards.

Four county government vehicles are at the Homa Bay Central Police Station, where they were detained after their drivers committed various offences.

After Mr Awiti was sworn in as governor in 2013, the county government spent millions of shillings to purchase cars for all cabinet members.

Homa Bay has 10 departments, commonly referred to as ministries, the public service board, the office of the governor and others.

Top officials in all the offices were given cars.

For the 10 executive committee members, the devolved unit bought Nissan Pathfinders, and each of their chief officers received a Suzuki. Other junior staff were given other vehicles for official duties.

Today, at least three executives – Aguko Juma (Trade), Akoko Nyaoke (Education) and Nicholas Koriko (Finance) – can be seen with their official cars.

The rest use personal cars.

Abandoned at the police station

At the Homa Bay Central Police Station, four government vehicles are parked outside the traffic office.

One of them, a double-cabin Toyota Hilux with a GK number plate, belongs to the department of health.

It was donated by the national government’s Ministry of Health.

The vehicle was meant to distribute malaria vaccines.

But some officials in the Homa Bay health department decided to use it for personal errands, until its driver committed an offence.

Homa Bay sub-county Police Commander Sammy Koskey said the vehicles were detained by the government check unit after their drivers made unauthorised journeys.

“The unit takes action on government drivers who operate without a work permit among other offences,” the officer said.

It is not just vehicles that are grounded.

At the department of agriculture and livestock, three tractors are immobile.

Farmers in some parts of Homa Bay are preparing to cultivate their farms.

Were the tractors functional, the farmers could have used them at a lower cost.

Farmers now hire tractors from other counties to cultivate their land.

Agriculture Chief Office Samuel Odoyo said the county government bought one tractor for each of the eight sub-counties.

Only one tractor is currently operational, though it has faults in its engine.

"Two tractors can be repaired. The others are completely grounded because of mismanagement," Mr Odoyo said

At the water and environment department, which had 14 vehicles, only one, belonging to Chief Officer Moses Buriri, is running.

"We are hoping that the vehicles will be repaired to enable my field officers to move with ease," Mr Buriri said.

Acting county transport officer Isaiah Alaka told Nation.Africa that the vehicles that are running have various faults.

"Some just have to be repaired for them to be put back on the road. They are in different garages within the county," he said.

As for the four vehicles at the police station, their drivers need to pay a fine before they can be released to them.

"The drivers were charged with various offences. The vehicles will be released if they clear with the check unit," Mr Alaka said.

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