Turkana Governor Josephat Nanok has said that he is entitled to conducting lawful private businesses just like any other Kenyan.
While reacting to Friday’s news article in the Nation that detailed transactions worth millions of shillings involving him, West Pokot Governor Prof John Lonyangapuo, Ikolomani MP Ben Shinali, Tai Enterprises Limited and Tullow Oil, Mr Nanok insisted that he is not corrupt.
Some of the transactions that anti-graft agencies are investigating include how Tai Enterprises Limited, a construction company that has bagged hundreds of government tenders, sent Sh45 million it had received from the Turkana County Government to Governor Nanok.
He then shared it with Prof Lonyangapuo, Mr Shinali and an individual identified as Isaac Makimei Gitau.
The investigation also seeks to unearth if the county boss was given money paid to Tai Enterprises by Tullow Oil.
“While the law bars me from doing business with county government due to conflict of interest, nothing prevents me from engaging in lawful private businesses with other companies,” the governor said.
Mr Nanok said that he is aware of investigations by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and is confident that the truth will exonerate him and put the matter to rest.
He was speaking in Lopur Village in Turkana South Sub-County on Saturday during the burial of Ms Brilliant Muya, a county government employee.
The graft investigation has elicited reactions from civil society activists in Turkana who have called on EACC to speed up its probe.
They said that if the governor is implicated in any corruption deals, he must step aside.
Led by Mr Eliud Emeri, the activists called on the investigation agencies to unravel how public funds meant to develop Turkana and transform lives of impoverished residents are instead used to enrich people in positions of power.
“Personal links and transactions between Governor Nanok and a company that has been bagging county government tenders is questionable,” Mr Emeri said.