GOVERNOR ACCUSED OF IMPUNITY

GOVERNOR ACCUSED OF IMPUNITY

BY JEFFERSON KIPKEMOI.

Bomet county governor Isaac Ruto has been accused by the area county commissioner Mr. Bernard Leparmarai of impunity and failure to observe the rule of law in his actions.

Mr. Leparmarai was responding to Thursday’s move by the governor to storm the County police headquarters accompanied by over 200 supporters who demanded the release of a county government lorry and its driver who had been held by police for dumping garbage at the grounds of the Proposed Bomet University.

“Police stations are restricted areas and no one is allowed by the law to storm such offices because no one is above the law and we are pursuing the matter lawfully.” He declared.

While talking to the press on Friday morning at his office accompanied by Ms. Leah Kithei the county police coordinator and top security officials, the county commissioner said the police were protecting the rights of the university grounds which the county government had turned to a garbage dumping grounds immediately it was given a title deed showing that it belonged to Moi university for the construction of its Bomet constituent college.

“The governor acted with impunity and disrespect but we are not going to give up in our endevour to protect the land because it is a public utility land meant for the construction of the university which will be of benefit to all the residents of Bomet county.” He said.

He added that the government will use all its resources to secure the land if need be because having been allocated a title deed it was a private property and not the county’s.

“If the governor will not desist from dumping garbage on the property then we will have to use the GSU or even the Kenya army forces to secure it and ensure that it is fenced for the purpose it was intended for.” He warned. 

On the notice that the governor gave that the commissioner should vacate Bomet county within the next seven days from Thursday, Mr. Leparmarai said that he was in Bomet rightfully as a government official who can be relocated anywhere by the national government but will not go anywhere until then because he was there to serve the people of Bomet and had no personal interest in the county.

During a public rally in Merigi in Bomet East Sub County last month the governor had issued warnings that the county commissioner will face the full wrath of the people of Bomet if he continued to use force in implementing government directives a claim the commissioner disputed saying he has never used force to implement government agenda.

Another point of contention between the county governor and the national government is on the use of government administration land that he wants to build county administrators offices.

“Land housing Chiefs, DO’s and DC’s offices belong to the national government and if the county government wants assistance they should approach the Minister of Interior and National Security for the shared use of such facilities.” Mr. Leparmarai said.