Machakos Governor Wavinya Ndeti has issued a public statement dismissing recent rumours.
The governor’s statement comes amid rumors that she was involved in an illicit smuggling scheme of large sums of money into the United Kingdom. It was said that UK customs authorities had detained her.
Governor Ndeti vehemently denied these accusations in an official press release from her office, describing the campaign as a politically motivated attempt to undermine her administration’s efforts in Machakos County.
According to the governor, the campaign aims to distract from the transformative work her administration has been carrying out since August 2022, which has resulted in nearly 1,000 new projects in the county. She further highlighted that Machakos had achieved a record-breaking Sh1.7 billion in own-source revenue in the fiscal year 2023/2024, the highest collected since devolution began.
In her statement, Governor Ndeti expressed disappointment at what she termed a “demeaning” attack on the intelligence of the people of Machakos and Kenya. She dismissed the notion that she could be involved in smuggling money as absurd, emphasizing the robust security and financial controls in place in the UK.
She assured the public that she and her family were safe and in good standing, both in Kenya and abroad.
Beyond rejecting the allegations, the governor called for legal action against those spreading the rumors. She warned that anyone responsible for defamation and spreading false news about her and her family would face the full force of the law.
Governor Ndeti expressed concern for the safety of her family, noting that such fabrications could endanger their lives and that if any harm came to them, the perpetrators of the false narratives would be held accountable.
The governor encouraged her detractors to present any concrete evidence of their claims if and when legal action is taken. She described the online campaign as a blatant attempt to damage her reputation and hinder her administration’s progress in improving the lives of Machakos residents.