Mt Kenya region former ward reps repay loans

The Treasury is set to release Sh36.9 billion in conditional allocations to county governments comprising loans and grants from development partners. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

By  NATION TEAM

What you need to know:

  • In Isiolo, former MCAs who were issued with laptops and car loans to facilitate their work surrendered the machines.
  • In Nyeri, the county assembly transferred Sh100 million to Family Bank to facilitate car loans.

Most former assembly members in Mt Kenya region have repaid their loans and returned government property.

In Laikipia however the former MCAs are still repaying loans they received in 2013.

Assembly Clerk Jusper Mutuiri said the loans taken to purchase land, cars, iPads, and smart phones were secured.

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He noted some have repaid while others continue to pay though the agreement was to have the loans cleared by the expiry of their term in office.

“For land, mortgage or vehicles, the assembly retained the necessary collateral like title deeds and logbooks and hence the money will easily be recovered in case of default.

"For items such as laptops and iPads, they returned at the expiry of their term and those who failed to do so were surcharged on their gratuity,” Mr Mutuiri said.

LAPTOPS
In Nyeri, the county assembly transferred Sh100 million to Family Bank to facilitate car loans.

However, the Clerk said that all the MCAs had cleared their loans and collected logbooks and title deeds submitted as security.

“By the time the MCAs were vacating office, they had cleared their loans. We did not have incidents of defaulters,” the Clerk said.

In Isiolo, former MCAs who were issued with laptops and car loans to facilitate their work, surrendered the machines and settled the amounts with the county assembly.

CAR LOANS
Deputy Speaker David Lemantile, also a former member in the first assembly, said former ward reps were not granted mortgages but received Sh2 million car loans, which were deducted from their bank accounts.

Former members of the Embu County Assembly repaid Sh5 million loans extended to them as car grants and mortgages and surrendered gadgets supplied to them, Clerk Jim Kauma has said.

In Tharaka Nithi, Clerk Martin Kimani was not available to give details on the status of the loans.

Murang’a Clerk Chris Kinyanjui said all former MCAs repaid their loans including those for iPads meant to aid in doing House businesses.

Reports by Mwangi Ndirangu, Grace Gitau, Vivian Jebet, Charles Wanyoro and Ndun’gu Gachane

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