Uproar over 100-150% illegal rent increment in Bungoma County awakens National govt.

In Summary;

• Complaint
• National govt. Response 
• Unanswered questions
• Attached docs (5)

A move by Bungoma County members of staff to question the illegal double or triple increase of their rent at the staff quarters by Bungoma County seems to have spilled beans exposing the fraudulent activities that have been carried out by the very people entrusted to uphold law and order. Employees wondered why the very houses constructed to motivate and cushion govt workers have become a monument of torture, corruption and lack of appreciation for their services.

According to a letter on our desk, the County government of Bungoma has been caught pants down for illegally increasing rent for County employees (devolved) living within the same staff quarters with those working in the National govt in National government houses… A move that prompted the county to quickly and again unprocedurally award repair tenders to their proxies just to qualify the deductions

On 3^rd Sept 2020, The County Housing Estates in the State depart. Of Housing and Urban Development Mr. Moses O. Owuor wrote a demand letter to the County Director of Housing asking the County government to suspend the erroneous rent deductions for government houses.

On 18^th January 2021 the Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure, Housing, Urban development and Public Works – State depart of Housing and Urban Development PS Charles M. Hinga, The National wrote to the National Treasury Principal Secretary (PS) Dr. Julius M. Muia highlighting the following;

• The State Depart. of Housing and Urban development is mandated to receive rent from all government residential houses in the country.
• The mandate also includes management of the housing stock in terms of maintaining, rental assessment as well as building register management
• The last rental assessment was carried out in the year 2001 and there has been piecemeal reviews to bring on board newly completed projects. These various reviews have not affected the old stock of government houses.
• It is important is important to note that there have been several reviews on housing allowances for Civil servants since 2001 but the rent applicable to the houses they occupy has remained largely the same over the said period.
• NOTICE is hereby given that effecting 1^st April 2022, rent from all government residential houses will increase by 10% of the prevailing rates. This review will still be way below the market rate since government residential houses are part of employer assisted housing for civil servants.

Download PS Charles M. Hinga’s letter here: NOTICE TO INCREASE MONTHLY RENT ON ALL GOVERNMENT RESIDENTIAL H

Affected staff/Houses:

With the above in view the county government continues to deduct money from county staff, money it doesn’t remit to national government.

The timing of the ongoing shoddy repairs for government staff quarters tendered at KShs. 18 million is what prompted ikuweikuwe.com to unleash rats to sniff for info into what seems like a justification for the grand theft via rent increment and now the wall, repairs.

#iKUWEiKUWE Corner:

Ikuweikuwe.com has also learnt that;

The County government illegal deductions are done with the pretext that it was sanctioned by the County Assembly of Bungoma… The truth of the matter therefore would be that;

• A house whose rent was 1,500 back then is now 4,500, 6,000 to 13,500
• Deductions are done directly from their payroll without proper procedures
• Transition authority NEVER handed over houses to Counties
• Only those houses behind the Teachers Sacco / County Comfort hotel are the only houses belonging to the County and therefore can be subjected to any discussion at the Assembly. They were inherited from Bungoma Municipal Council in 2013
• Other government houses in Bungoma County belong to the National govt
• National Government has severally written to County Government on this illegality in vain
• No documents are available to confirm that indeed the County government has been remitting the rent (Esp the increment)
• Increase was discriminatively done… Only county employees occupying those houses were victimized… and not the National govt employees
• Those who are adversely mentioned in our investigations for effecting deductions without due process are:
  • Dir. Revenue – Ambrose Makokha
  • Chief Officer Housing – Mr. Kombo – Presided over corruption
  • CECM housing – Mr. Murgor – Presided over corruption
  • Director housing – Christine – Masterminded the deductions and therefore coverup
  • Dir. Payroll – effected the deductions unprocedurally

Dir. Housing Mrs. Christine is known for doing things in a clandestine way as she runs the housing department like a personal kiosk as illustrated in our previous articles

The repairs are done by ministry of lands officers through proxy… My well placed rat alleges that the contracts are shared as follows;

• Christine is the one doing the current repairs
• The wall is CO Kombo’s contract

Fundamental questions;

1. No communication made to tenants over increments… why?
2. Were the house repairs/Wall erection contracts duly advertised?
3. No design was done by the public works… Why?
4. No supervision conducted by Public Works… They were warned against stepping there… why?
5. House repairs are done selectively when all need repairs… why?
6. Who is the landlord?

Rejoinder:

• Contacted, one county official while referring to a gazette notice dated 31st Dec 2019 attached below indicated that there is nothing illegal in the deductions but could not explain why National government officers living in the same houses were not affected by the very selective increment (still pay 4,800/=)
• Chief officer Kombo arrogantly rubbished the allegations indicating that whoever wants to know more should visit his office
• The rest of the adversely mentioned officers did not respond or could not be reached

Gazette notice: The Bungoma County Finance Act 2019 – gazette notice