Kilifi county governor Gideon Mung’aro has raised concern over misappropriation of public funds at Matsangoni Emergency Operation Center within Kilifi North and directed blacklisting of the contractor responsible.
“I made an impromptu visit to the Emergency Operation Center hosted at Matsangoni Kilifi North sub-county office hosting all departments. This is a partnership with Kenya Red cross for mapping, analysis and planning for prompt response to emergencies and disasters,’ he said.
In a statement on his social media Facebook page, the governor said that it is unfortunate the said center has been a victim of inefficient and misappropriation of funds that have crippled it to a non-functioning state.
“Even after the county government spent Ksh19, 758,256 million on the same. This is unacceptable. Therefore I ordered the contractor of the sub-county office to be blacklisted from the county system with immediate effect,” he said.
Without mentioning names, Mung’aro said that the contractor will not conduct any business with Kilifi county government any more.
He also sounded a warning to all stakeholders including the contractor and the department of Public Services and Disaster management to take necessary steps to ensure the center is fully operational immediately.
‘The team has a specific timeline to deliver and I will closely monitor the progress, to ensure our people receive a prompt response,” he added.
He said that a well-conceived emergency preparedness and response plans not only save lives and properties but also contribute to a resilience and post-disaster recovery by lessening the impact of a disaster.
“There is a need for an emergency operation center,” he added.
Mung’aro noted that his manifesto is pegged on transparent leadership and that he expects from everyone working under him tasked to deliver projects to locals.
He was accompanied by Matsangoni MCA Hassan Mohamed among others.
