Governor Wavinya jets back after several weeks in the UK

Machakos Governor Wavinya Ndeti jetted back into the country on Monday after several weeks stay in the United Kingdom (the UK).

She immediately dismissed speculations that she and her son had been detained by authorities in London over alleged money laundering.

Addressing residents on Monday evening at Mlolongo town in Mavoko sub-County, while in the company of her son, Charles Oduwale, she said the story is false rumours and vowed to sue some unnamed individuals for publication of malicious falsehoods.

The governor sought to clear the air over her ‘extended’ stay in the UK saying that she didn't violate any rule of law but “these baseless claims were championed by some political opponents”.

“I was in the UK alongside other governors where I sourced for firefighting equipment for the county before getting preoccupied with settling my daughter who was joining university there. I was not under any arrest. I am happy to be back home with my son. His father passed on in 2016 and there is no way a son can be far from the mother. Those making wild allegations of hundreds of millions of shillings must be crazy. They should know that I do not fear them. I am answerable to God,” the county boss said.

She said the debate that dominated social media of her alleged arrest over money laundering were manufactured by her political opponents who have been working in cahoots with criminals that have been cornered by her reforms.

The governor said that having a diplomatic passport, there is no way the Kenyan Government may not have been briefed by the UK authorities about her arrest in a foreign country.

“By sanitizing procurement processes and enforcing legal compliance, we have disrupted the cartels that once controlled county contracts, isolating those with vested interests. But no matter in what the cartel may do I shall continue to fight corruption in the county,” Ms Ndeti said.

The governor said some of the reforms she had undertaken after taking over as governor had enraged many people who had been working against her.

Ms Ndeti also said she will not relent in her fight against cartels.

“I am aware that the masters of the networks of corruption are not happy with what I am doing for the benefit of the people of Machakos. I will tighten things further. We shall choke you out of the revenue streams and starve you and your networks of evil,” the governor declared.

She said the schemes she had established since becoming governor are crumbling right before them and she will not allow them to deny the people of Machakos what is rightful to their services.

Recently, speculations swept across major social media platforms including X, Facebook, and WhatsApp chat groups alleging that Ms Ndeti and her son had been held by authorities in London, UK after they failed to explain the source of Sh679 million they allegedly attempted to deposit in a bank.