A heated exchange erupted between Kitui Governor Dr. Julius Malombe and his predecessor, Charity Ngilu, during a burial ceremony in Syongila, Kitui County, over the fate of the Kitui County Textile Centre (KICOTEC).
Ngilu accused Governor Malombe’s administration of shutting down KICOTEC, saying the move hurt local businesses and denied young people vital training and employment opportunities.
“There was a very big increase in business activity in Syongila because of KICOTEC, but it was affected because some people don’t want the children of the poor in Kitui to be trained and to work here. That is very wrong,” Ngilu said.
The former governor dismissed claims that KICOTEC was her personal enterprise, saying such accusations were politically motivated.
“Others stood and said KICOTEC belongs to me and my children. We must think now about how to help our people grow,” she added.
Ngilu, while praising Governor Malombe’s “Kisomo Nokyo” initiative, urged him to complement education efforts with vocational training for the youth. She further said Malombe should have defended her when she faced accusations before the Senate over alleged ownership of KICOTEC.
In a swift rebuttal, Governor Malombe defended his administration’s actions, saying KICOTEC had been a loss-making venture and was also entangled in a land ownership dispute.
“The Auditor-General reported that KICOTEC had made a KSh90 million loss. That’s what happened. We did not dissolve or close KICOTEC,” Malombe said. “We listened to the Auditor-General because if we had pumped more money into it, the next to come knocking would have been the EACC.”
Last year, Former Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu faced the the Senate County Public Investments and Special Funds Committee to address audit queries relating to KICOTEC.
