Londiani accident committee denies embezzling funds for crash victims

Kericho

Monday July 31, 2023

KNA by Dominic Cheres

The Kericho County Government has denied that Londiani accident victims funds raised through harambee, to assist the 53 fatalities who perished and 24 others injured, had been embezzled as alleged in a section of the press. 

The County Secretary, Mr Wesley Bor, who read a statement to press monday said that the committee in charge of the Londiani accident had spent a total of Sh 9.3 million out of Sh 14,589,604 to cater for the the families of the accident victims.

The funds were raised in a funds drive that was presided over by the Deputy President, Rigathi Gachagua.

Bor said that owing to the mismatch of names given out with the actual identity cards of the crash victims, the Committee was still authenticating and sorting the remaining crash victims and injured individuals, who some were still in hospital, saying that the final cheques will be issued out, today, to the families.

Mr Bor said that the National Government gave Sh 300,000 to each of the 53 crash victims, while the County Government of Kericho gave Sh 90,000, making a total of Sh 390,000.

He said a further Sh 200,000 was given out by the National Government to each of the 24 injured victims, while the County Government of Kericho gave Sh 60,000, Making it Sh 260,000, to the injured crash survivors.

The Kericho County Secretary said that the Committee had set aside some funds to meet the cost of purchasing new motorbikes, to replace the lost motorbikes in last month's accident at the Londiani junction.

According to the press reports, the Kericho Deputy Governor, Eng. Fred Kirui had allegedly accused the Committee that was in charge of the funds drive of embezzlement.

Eng. Kirui alleged that only Sh 90,000 had been given to the families of the crash victims and Sh 60,000 to the injured persons.

Eng. Kirui further alleged that Sh 2,945,000 had been paid out for tents used in the Londiani funds drive, while Sh 2,037,524 had been used to defray treatment cost by the Kericho County Referral Hospital and another Sh 1,534,190 used in the treatment and medication of the victims at the Londiani Hospital.

Courtesy ; K. N. A