The Kwale County Assembly is at the centre of a storm following explosive allegations linking Clerk Fatuma Hassan Mwalupa to a sprawling procurement network accused of siphoning millions of shillings from public coffers.
Whistleblowers, audit reports, and insider accounts now paint a picture of an institution gripped by systemic irregularities, where oversight appears weak and accountability elusive.
Allegations of a Shadow Procurement Network
Multiple sources who spoke on condition of anonymity claim that Mwalupa wields extraordinary control over procurement processes at the assembly, allegedly operating through proxy companies to inflate contract values and facilitate kickbacks.
According to the claims, funds are fragmented across numerous accounts in what insiders describe as a deliberate attempt to evade detection. While these specific allegations remain unverified independently, they have intensified calls for urgent investigations.
Efforts to reach Mwalupa for comment were unsuccessful by the time of publication.
The KSh 624 Million Assembly Building Controversy
At the heart of the scandal is the controversial construction of the Kwale County Assembly headquarters in Matuga.
Originally budgeted at KSh 508 million, the project ballooned to KSh 624 million after contractor changes—an increase of KSh 116 million flagged by the Office of the Auditor-General Kenya.
Auditors further revealed that by 2022, at least KSh 155 million had already been paid out despite minimal progress on the ground before the contractor exited the site.
When the building was eventually inaugurated in 2024, Speaker Seth Mwatela Kamanza praised it as a milestone of devolution—but questions over cost escalation and procurement integrity remain unresolved.
Damning Audit Findings
Reports by the Office of the Auditor-General Kenya outline a pattern of financial and administrative breaches within the assembly:
- Staffing levels exceeding legal limits, with over 280 workers against a cap of 100
- Millions spent on unsupported conference expenses, including KSh 15.9 million with no documentation
- Employees subjected to irregular salary deductions beyond legal thresholds
- Several staff reportedly going unpaid for extended periods
- A dysfunctional vehicle fleet, with only two out of six operational while additional funds were spent on rentals
As the accounting officer, Mwalupa bears institutional responsibility for these lapses.
EACC Investigations and Lingering Questions
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) is reported to have questioned Mwalupa over alleged financial misconduct. However, no formal charges or conclusive outcomes have been made public.
This has fueled frustration among civil society groups and residents, who argue that repeated audits and investigations have failed to translate into accountability.
Kwale County has previously ranked among regions with high incidences of bribery, according to national surveys, raising broader concerns about governance within county institutions.
A Wider Web of Alleged Irregularities
The controversy extends beyond the assembly. Separate allegations have linked senior county officials, including Finance Chief Officer Alex Thomas Onduko and CECM Francisca Kilonzo, to procurement dealings involving hundreds of millions of shillings through companies reportedly tied to family members.
While these claims remain under scrutiny and require independent verification, they add to a growing perception of entrenched patronage networks within the county.
A History of Unresolved Scandals
Kwale’s governance challenges are not new. Past anti-corruption crackdowns by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission have led to arrests and court cases involving county officials—but many have dragged on for years without resolution.
A previous clerk, Hamisi Bweni Dzila, was embroiled in a legal battle after resisting questionable payments, highlighting long-standing tensions within the assembly over financial oversight.
Growing Pressure for Accountability
The latest revelations have triggered calls for urgent action:
- Civil society groups are demanding forensic audits and asset tracing
- Pressure is mounting on the EACC to fast-track investigations
- Internal efforts are reportedly underway to push for accountability measures within the assembly
Analysts warn that failure to act decisively could further erode public trust in devolved governance structures.
The unfolding situation in Kwale County raises deeper questions about accountability, procurement integrity, and the effectiveness of oversight institutions in Kenya’s devolved system.
While the allegations against Fatuma Hassan Mwalupa remain unproven, the volume and consistency of audit queries and whistleblower claims have placed the assembly under intense public scrutiny.
As investigations continue, attention now turns to whether authorities will act decisively—or whether, as critics argue, the cycle of scandal without consequence will persist.
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