Migori Governor Okoth Obado speaking at Migori referral hospital during the launch of the renal center

By TIMOTHY MBAYA

Migori governor Okoth Obado has said he is going to crack the whip on “mischievous” county revenue officers stealing from his government.

Obado said some officials were colluding to deny the county government the much needed revenue, denying residents access to better services.

“I know that some of my officers have been going around unfortunately some of them are so mischievous. They pick the money but don’t give out receipts,” Obado said.

According to Obado, more than a hundred percent of revenue collected by Migori is lost to rogue county officials annually.

Speaking yesterday in his office the county boss said he had commissioned his reinforcement team to ensure that the collection in various markets is done perfectly; the difference in those instances and other days was huge.

“For example in a market that usually reports like shs. 20,000 a day, if my team is there supervising and confirming if each and every one has paid (sic), the collection shoots to over shs. 80, 000,” Obado said.

In the last financial year, Obado said the county collected about shs. 350 million but the county boss said the figure was supposed to be more.

“We are saying here that we have a potential of collecting even a billion shillings, so we want to put our systems in place,” he said.

He said the deficit would have helped his government offer and deliver more services to the residents of Migori during this time that the national treasury hasn’t remitted county government funds for three months.

“We need money to offer excellent services to the people of Migori. Without that money we will just be seated here doing nothing,” Obado said.

Obado said the rogue officers will now be arrested and retrenched to give room to others willing to serve the county better.

He said there is a reinforcement team and another inspection team in place that will help catch up with the rogue revenue officers and send them home.

 “Whoever is collecting the money into their pockets we are cautioning them, we are warning them that we are not going to entertain them anymore,” the governor said.

To help his government collect the maximum revenue, the governor appealed to residents to remit the various levies they are mandated to the county.

Obado also urged the residents to make sure they are given official receipts for any money collected by county government officials to help in accountability and help abet corruption.