Taita Taveta Governor Granton Samboja at a past event. (Photo/Tupo)
Taita Taveta Governor Granton Samboja has vowed to fight corruption in the county as he seeks to boost service delivery.
Samboja said his administration will uphold transparency and accountability at all levels.
He revealed that there are measures in place to seal all corruption loopholes and where funds have been embezzled or used wrongly, the perpetrators will face the law.
The county boss made the remarks even as he revealed that his administration inherited over Sh600 million debt from the former regime that was headed by John Mruttu.
He said most of those being owed are contractors and suppliers of goods.
"We suspect the debts might be higher than Sh661 million, but we will prioritise (on) paying the suppliers as soon as we settle," said Samboja in his office as quoted by the Nation.
He said the debts are as a result of poor revenue collection and corruption in the revenue department, signaling a reshuffle.
He told the department to improve its services, stating it is key in mobilising resources to fund county projects.
"We are not raising enough revenue. To make the matters worse, the funds we receive from the National Treasury (are) not enough to clear the debts," he added.
He said his administration will operate within its budget to avoid accruing many debts.
He further said employment will be done based on merit devoid of nepotism and tribalism and that all the four sub-counties will be represented in county jobs.