Guard arrested, charged for injecting adulterated fuel into Wangamati’s sole source of power

In Summary;

• Arrest, Charge
• Motivation
• #iKUWEiKUWE Corner

Bungoma County Governor’s office premises has enjoyed unpleasant darkness for days now due to what an #iKUWEiKUWE rat claims to be an act of protest over delayed salaries. A watchman working for a security firm that has not paid salaries for 6 months has therefore overtime in defiance been “fueling’ the generator with water as he resells the fuel allocated to the machine just to get a few coins to take care of his family.

When it emerged that the generator wasn’t working and therefore not even photocopying would be done at Governor Wangamati’s office leave alone more crucial offices like the procurement, County secretaries and Finance…  Wangamati’s blue eyed boys went berserk going after anyone and anything that normally operates around the generator before later settling on the Watchman and a Mr. Sikolia who was off duty but is presumed to be pro-Lusaka and therefore suspect number one. Sikolia who is “presumed” to be an ardent supporter of the former Bungoma Governor and current Senate Speaker Rt. Hon. Ken Makelo Lusaka who is also eying the Gubernatorial seat in 2022 was therefore summoned to County offices over the incident that occurred on Wednesday.

The Webuye man is said to have a few weeks earlier been denied access to the generator-house a place he worked maintaining the power machine for months. He was off duty when the generator failed after Nato the watchman on-duty injected it with a mixture of water and fuel.

My rat at Wangamati’s office indicates that Nato (watchman) who works for a security firm manning the governor’s offices was as usual handed a jerrican of fuel by one Khalakai who is an aide to Brenda a senior Revenue officer in-charge of procuring fuel for the generator. Nato emptied about half the fuel in another container then filled it up with water before fueling the generator on 12^th Wednesday 2022 morning prompting it to malfunction. This caused a total blackout which caused a chain of inconveniences.

Nato, like he normally does carried the unadulterated fuel to sell in order to earn something “small” to feed his family

Motivation;

Another rat roaming in the streets gathers; This was an act of protest by a head security to a security firm run by Chenjeni (Wangamati’s aide) that has not paid salaries to its employees for 6 months. The watchman chose to pour his frustrations out on the generator on 12^th Wednesday 2022 when a County employee tasked to maintain the generator asked him to assist (as usual) in re-fueling the generator whenever it goes low. The generator which has served the county under strenuous conditions including lack of fuel on most occasions due to corruption by those in charge, has been in use for almost a year since Kenya Power disconnected power due to lack of payment of bills running into tens of millions.

Most security guards quit their jobs in November 2021 due, to lack of salary payment leaving a few hopeful ones

Sequence of events;

• Nato was arrested on 13^th Jan 2022 together with Mike Sikolia and Brenda, a County employee who is in charge of Transport at the revenue department and therefore procures fuel for the generator.
•  Nato was on Monday 17, 2022 charged at Bungoma Law Courts with vandalizing the generator and therefore making it malfunction by adding water instead of fuel. He is also accused to have sold the fuel he had been given to add into the generator. Sikolia and Brenda too were also arrested.
• The two were released except Nato who was released on 18^th Jan 2022 after paying a cash bail of 30,000. This was after he spend a night at Bungoma prisons
• Chenjeni in partnership with Nato’s family fundraised for the bail.
• Nothing that needs power is happening at the governor’s office forcing employees to do photocopies and other jobs at the adjacent building housing ministerial departments’ 
• After serious beating on orders from the Chief-of-staff, Nato not only admitted to having adulterating the fuel to feed his family but also took the Police to the buyer of his syphoned fuel.
• The Security guard is owed a 6-months salary now.
• The guards despite working diligently were not shown the Christmas love by their employer leave alone the County.
• Nato was unable to pay

#iKUWEiKUWE Corner;

• The generator hasn’t been repaired a week down the line giving all indications that the County executive are okay with the situation…  Note; KPLC disconnected power almost a year ago due to unpaid bills
• The security firm owner should also be prosecuted, so is anyone who is subjecting the watchmen to months of no-salary for they are putting this county at risk of breeding thieves, thugs…
• This could have gotten worse you know… assuming instead of syphoning fuel to sell he instead opted to burn offices with the same to display his frustrations. This could have put everyone’s life in danger including the county CEO
• Let everyone from the County to the Security firm owners to the Watchman carry their share of the cross
• Wangamati should pay Contractors on time.