Uasin Gishu Governor Jackson Mandago has reiterated that no militia was being trained at the county’s Chebororwa Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) to cause violence during the August general elections.
Mandago said contrary to rumours being peddled around, those undergoing training at the institute were county staff including county askaris and firefighters.
Speaking at Chebororwa ATI yesterday during the passing out of 129 county inspectorate officers and firefighters, the governor said the officers had undergone training meant to enhance their service delivery to the citizens and were not being trained as a militia to cause chaos during the August polls.
Mandago said the ATI has conference and boarding facilities that the county administration uses from time to time to train staff, including askaris, adding that most staff recently undertook refresher courses at the institution.
“The officers have been trained on human rights and gender, crime detection and investigation, disaster management, law and county legislation, basic first-aid skills, public relations, and firefighting management to ensure they offer quality service to the people of Uasin Gishu,” said the Governor.
He challenged the officers to use the skills they acquired during the one-month training to deliver services to the citizens without fear or favour, noting that with the training, they had no excuse for not obeying the law as they execute their duties.
Mandago who was two weeks ago summoned alongside Assembly Speaker David Kiplagat and Cheptiret-Kipchamo MCA Gilbert Tenai to record statements over election incitement claims, on Friday, with elders drawn from the county visited the institute and dismissed the militia training claims, calling for a thorough investigation and stern action against those spreading the false alarm.
Elders from the county cautioned that claims of militia being trained in the county in readiness for poll chaos were a threat to peace and unity for the county.
During the tour of the institution, the elders also demanded that anyone undermining peace and cohesion in Uasin Gishu should be barred from running for elections.
The governor and his colleagues have denied any wrongdoing, adding they were not engaged in any incitement to chaos during the elections.
The governor, speaker, and the MCA have been accused of sponsoring, arming, and training a militia at the Chebororwa college ahead of the August 9 polls.
“We want the truth to come out and that is why we urge the DCI to hasten their investigations and take action against those who made the claims,” Mandago said.
Mandago has blamed his political nemesis Kiprop Bundotich Buzeki who is running for the governor’s seat as an independent candidate and other political rivals for the political woes facing him.
Buzeki has however rubbished the governor’s claims and told the outgoing county chief to carry his own cross.
