Millions Looted as Busia County Newspaper Crumbles Amid Scandal
A multi-million shilling scandal has rocked the Busia County Government, following revelations that over KSh 59 million meant to sustain the once-thriving Busia County Monthly Newspaper was looted by senior county officials in a secretive and well-orchestrated scheme.
Investigations by The Weekly Vision and corroborated by confidential county insiders reveal that the theft was engineered during the final year of former Governor Sospeter Ojaamong’s administration.
Top officials within the County’s ICT Department, working in collusion with the Chief of Protocol, allegedly transferred funds meant for the newspaper’s operations into unrelated accounts, where the money vanished without a trace.
According to Michael Oongo, the publication’s former Managing Editor, the embezzlement was the final blow to a platform that once served as a critical communication channel between the county government and the public.
“The money was meant to fund our next print run,” he said. “Instead, it was diverted in the dead of night. We never made it to the press, and just like that, the newspaper died.”
What followed, insiders say, was a spending spree that raised eyebrows. One official reportedly bought land on the outskirts of Busia town and a brand-new Toyota Wish.
Another is said to have acquired nearly 100 acres near Malaba and now drives a flashy Toyota Prado. Several others also allegedly enriched themselves, purchasing vehicles and properties that are now generating rental income—all from stolen public funds.
Shockingly, despite the newspaper being defunct, budgetary allocations have continued to flow into the same ICT and Protocol accounts with no proper audits conducted to date. This has raised questions about ongoing fiscal discipline and oversight within the county administration.
Under the current leadership of Governor Paul Otuoma, the situation appears to have worsened.
Multiple sources confirm that the County’s Director of Communications, Oscar Obonyo, has been denied direct funding to run his department. Instead, the team operates on petty cash, severely limiting their ability to function.
The department reportedly relies on obsolete equipment, including broken microphones and outdated cameras last procured during Ojaamong’s regime. Requests for replacements have gone unanswered, rendering the communication team ineffective in executing their duties.
To compound matters, Governor Otuoma is accused of bypassing his own team and outsourcing key communication tasks to a Nairobi-based consultant—a relative from his Ebu-Nandi village in Funyula. This consultant, insiders allege, pockets hundreds of thousands of shillings in monthly consultancy fees despite offering minimal or no services to the county’s ICT agenda.
