Up in flames. Where are the fire engines?
Migori governor Okoth Obado received hash criticism over failure by his administration to procure a fire engine despite Sh65million being allocated over the same in two previous financial years.
Angry residents on the streets and social media tore Obado priority on development as they looked on helplessly for over four hours as the top floor of Salah Bakery building was burnt.
The building is among the oldest and a landmark in Migori town.
The criticism was even made worse as part of his press team tried to hoodwink the public by posing photos of Sony Sugar Company fire engines as those bought by the county.
“I saw smoke before the fire started off, we watched here for five hours as the fire burnt the house,” Wuod Abade, a boda boda rider said.
Abade said roadshows trucks crisscrossing the county bought personally by the governor for his re-election was enough to afford an engine.
The county allocated Sh47million for an engine which is never forthcoming.
Nominated MCA Eunice Mboya representing people with disability under her Facebook profile Omore Mamor was more succinct. “It requires a lot of unity to fight (referring to People Living With Disability Demo, see photos HERE) If I may ask Sh120m allocated for women, youths and PwD where has it been taken to? Sh212m allocated for water has been swindled by the people whom we trust with our votes.”
She finished: “45m allocated for fire fighting machines in FY 2015/16, another Sh20million was topped up in FY 2016/2017… AND THERE YOU SIT SINGING SIRIKAL MATIYO BECAUSE OF SOME FEW LEFT OVERS TO PRAISE WHAT IS NOT PRAISE WORTHY!!!”
She picked out Obado’s Administration Director Dominic Akugo to rub the point in by tagging him.
Cornelius Vanderbilt, a resident of Uriri Subcounty working in Mombasa chose to mock the governor by tagging him in a photo of the burning building with a comment “Ati Sirikal Matiyo?”
Dunya Riek Ali, said a group of fire fighting experts trained in the town approached Obado on start of his tenure and he ignored them “it is so sad we even gave them a draft of disaster policy”
When officers from the governor Obado tried to defuse the attack by posing photos of Sony Sugar Company engines attributing them to have been purchased by the county, the debate got angrier:
Abdi Jamaa, who is related to the owner of the building commented: “Ni sony sugar sio county. Obado amekula pesa yote na anajua kununua ma tv tu.”
Dutchess Nya Uyoma retorted: “Total sycophancy! You could have done better without even posting this shit… makes me think loud; my governor could be a good person but with the kind of people surrounding him no doubt they make him not see realities and priorities PERIOD”
