Kisumu county government is said to be losing huge sums of money in form of revenue collection to the hands of rogue revenue officers.
The team led by a Mr Basole is said to be minting Sh15,000 per vehicle they seize and clamp in what they term as crackdown on vehicles which do not pay for parking fees or park wrongly.
The dreaded team which also comprises of two other notorious ghost workers who are said to have be imposting as revenue officers is said to be conducting their businesses with a lot of impunity.
They walk aimlessly and clamp vehicles which are taken to Works yard along Obote Road where they are detained until their owners’ part with Sh15,000. They are said to be working closely with a watchman who is manning the gates of the defunct Kisumu Municipality works yard where the vehicles are taken once clamped and they give instruction to the watchman manning the gate not to allow the vehicle out of the place until Sh15,000 is paid then the vehicle is released.
The team mostly seen before and after job within the revenue department based at the former town hall is notorious in fleecing the county government through dubious means. Now it is claimed that Basole has brought some of his women cronies who help him loot the county’s revenue department dry. He is said to have brought the massive corruption at the revenue section.
According to well placed sources the team is operating under the blessings of a CEC with endless troubles and who is not new to controversies. The money is allegedly remitted to the rogue security officers who is an enforcement officer with the county government of Kisumu.
Sadly, the money taken is not remitted to the county government of Kisumu and ends up in the pockets of the said few revenue officers who seem to have perfected the art of extorting the unsuspecting clients.
In their well choreographed schemes, they allegedly use fake receipts to do their dirty deals and normally targeting buses and private vehicles especially in the evenings. They allegedly invoke the name of the director of City Inspectorate a Mr Orimba as the person to whom they take part of the money.
The said officers are bragging that nothing can be done to them as they are well connected within the regime of Anyang Nyong’o.
The drivers have sent their passionate appeal to the county government of Kisumu to immediately crack the whip and ensure that the officers are dealt with in accordance to the laws of the land and the county government Act and the public finance management Act 2012.
Their appeals come barely a few weeks after the new Kisumu county executive committee member in charge of finance George Okong’o was sworn into office and promised to ensure that he will work towards ensuring that there is increased revenue collection in Kisumu.
Okong’o said the current revenue system has been reviewed and the county is ready to improve on revenue collection, adding that there is great need to invest in revenue collections.
He said key issue is assessment of streams so as to determine the highest potential, which is structured revenue rather than the unstructured streams.
The new finance CEC also outlined prudent expenditure and cashflow management as a key issue at the top of his agenda as he takes the office. He further promised the timely implementation of the county government projects, adding that the county government will work with contractors with the capacity to deliver.
