Rebel Kisii ward representatives have questioned what they describe as opaque spending by Governor Simba Arati’s administration, accusing it of unilaterally committing huge sums of public money to the transformation of the former Nyambera dumpsite into a public park.
The ward representatives claimed that about Sh120 million had been spent on the project, with a further Sh45 million allegedly used for the launch function.
However, Nation Alert independently accessed official expenditure amounting to Sh45 million for the function held to inaugurate Etaya Governor’s Park.
No publicly disclosed official figure for the total cost of the transformation project was immediately available, leaving the overall expenditure on the facility unclear.
The former Nyambera dumpsite was officially unveiled as Etaya Governor’s Park during the World Cleanup Day celebrations in Kisii on September 20.
The county government has described the transformation as part of its environmental and waste-management programme.
On Tuesday, Masimba MCA Bouse Mairura accused the Arati administration of failing to provide adequate transparency over public expenditure.
Mairura claimed that the county government had spent about Sh120 million on the transformation of the dumpsite and another Sh45 million on the launch function alone.
He questioned how the funds were authorised and whether the County Assembly had adequately scrutinised the expenditure.
“He brings an unbundled budget into the Assembly and the lethargic and hungry MCAs just rubber-stamp it. Personally, I did not license the expenditure,” Mairura said.
The MCA alleged that the spending could have created an opportunity for misuse of public funds and challenged the county administration to account for every shilling spent on the project.
Mairura, who is eyeing the Nyaribari Masaba parliamentary seat, also criticised the naming of the facility after the governor, arguing that public projects should not be personalised.
“The money that comes to Kisii from the National Treasury is public money, not personal cash. Should every leader winning a seat be naming every project under his name? That is being petty,” he said.
The former dumpsite has been presented by the county government as an environmental intervention aimed at eliminating the health and environmental risks associated with waste accumulation in the heart of Kisii town.
The National Environment Management Authority confirmed the opening of Etaya Governor’s Park, formerly the Nyambera dumpsite, during the World Cleanup Day celebrations.
Mairura accused the county leadership of sidelining MCAs in oversight and claimed that some ward representatives were unwilling to challenge decisions made by the governor.
“I am the only voice with a heightened sense to probe wanton expenditure. The rest are a choir team for the governor. I cannot fix the mess alone,” he said.
He further accused the county government of implementing road projects that he described as substandard or incomplete, including some in his Masimba Ward.
The MCA also criticised what he termed excessive political mobilisation during county events, alleging that organised cheer groups were being used to create political support for the governor.
Mairura said he had repeatedly confronted Arati over what he considers failures in governance, insisting that his criticism was aimed at forcing the governor to leave office with dignity.
“I only advised that he comes home with dignity,” he said.
On the 2027 political contest, Mairura dismissed suggestions that Arati's re-election was assured and declared his support for former Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu.
“Don't underestimate us. Machogu will end goonism,” Mairura said.
He also cautioned against relying on what he described as “fake opinion polls” portraying Machogu as a weak contender
Mairura claimed that Arati’s political camp was divided and alleged that the governor had lost the backing of several influential political figures.
“He is a man drowning but clutching at straws,” Mairura told journalists.
He also criticised Deputy Governor Elijah Obebo, accusing him of failing to use his position to push for development in his area.
The county government has defended the Nyambera transformation as part of a wider waste-management strategy. Governor Arati has said the former dumpsite posed public-health and environmental risks and that its conversion into a green recreational space demonstrates a new approach to urban waste management.
Arati’s administration has also highlighted the establishment of a Materials Recovery Facility at the Kisii Agricultural Training Centre, with a reported capacity to process up to 50 tonnes of waste a day.
The governor has dismissed criticism of his environmental projects as politically motivated, saying opponents were driven by “malice and hate”.
“Their primary motivation for them to fight even such noble projects is built around political venom and hatred for me,” he said.
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