Kilifi governor gets Sh140m beachfront house

.....Kwani inakuja na usingizi? or it mean all the residents of Kilifi will be residing in these single house.....

Daily Nation, January 22, 2014 ·

The purchase of a Sh140 million beachfront house for the Kilifi County governor is above board, a top county official said on Wednesday.

One county assembly member who spoke to Nation on condition of anonymity insisted that the house should not have exceeded Sh70 million.

There has been public outcry especially in the social media with locals blaming the county government for the misuse of public funds.

Refuting claims that the five bedroomed fully furnished bungalow exceeds the status of the governor, Kilifi County government Secretary Dr Owen Baya said that the purchase of the house was done above board and its valuation was accepted by the government valuer.

“Proper procedures and process were followed. After the tender for the governors house was advertised in the local dailies, interested property owners bid. Among the seven properties that were tendered only three bidders were selected by the tendering board,” he said.

The secretary added that they required a fully furnished house without incurring additional expenses. This he said made them go for the offer by Ecstatic Wind Properties.
“A company going by the name Ecstatic Wind properties bid the house for Sh140 million and after the valuation team recommended it fit for the governor, we purchased the house. The truth is that this was money that had been budgeted for and that there is no cause for alarm,” said Baya.

County governments have come under fire in the recent days after the office of the controller of budget raised alarm of over poor use of the funds.