MCAs have
accused the office of the Auditor General of accepting bribes from governors to cover up “massive theft of public resources“.
During a presentation at the ongoing County Assemblies Forum, the ward representatives said auditors are "now becoming a cartel compromised by governors".
The forum, which started on Monday at Flamingo Beach Resort in Mombasa, brought together senators and MCAs.
Embu County Assembly Speaker Kariuki Mate also raised the red flag that some unqualified staff recruited by County Assembly Service Boards have continued to serve in the county governments.
Mate said these were recruited based on their ethnicity or clan, despite not meeting requirements for the jobs they perform.
But Mate also admitted that some MCAs have been “compromised and have become rent seekers from governors”.
“Are we clean? Can we raise accountability questions to the county executive? I need to challenge MCAs that before we cast the first stone, we should check if we pass the integrity test. We need to cleanse ourselves,” the speaker said.
Mate said MCAs were unable to effectively carry out oversight the county executive during the first two years (2013/2014 and 2014/2015) as they were engaged in “fighting for their survival which was under threat from other organs of government”.
Lameck Bukita, a representative from the office of the Auditor General, disputed the bribery claims.
"They are just allegations, but could be true in some cases and may not be true in others," he said.
He warned that officials at both levels of government against withholding documents and information during the auditing period. He said such individuals risk a fine of Sh10 million or a five-year jail term.
Mate called on the Senate to stop intimidating MCAs, as they both have qualifications to run their respective offices.