• Muranga's received Sh213.46 million from the government and other donors to fight the pandemic.
• Mbito ordered the meeting pushed to Wednesday though members pressed him to issue a formal summons to the governor.
Image: ALICE WAITHERA
A meeting to discuss questionable spending of Covid-19 funds in Murang'a county aborted on Monday after Governor Mwangi Wa Iria skipped a Senate committee session.
Murang'a heath executive Joseph Mbai informed the senators his boss was attending another meeting. He did not identify the meeting that was more important than the session on the audit.
“The governor has not dishonoured the committee, but he was attending another committee. He went through the report and filed the responses," Mbai said.
The Senate Health Committee had invited Wa Iria alongside other top county officials to discuss the special audit report on the utilisation of Covid-19 funds by Auditor General Nancy Gathungu.
The report flagged several issues during the procurement of Covid-19 items that Gathungu said could put public money at risk.
Murang'a received Sh213.46 million from the government and other donors to fight the pandemic.
The governor’s no-show infuriated the senators and committee members pressured chairman Michael Mbito (Trans Nzoia) to summon him for not taking the matter seriously and always skipping Senate invites.
In August last year, the Senate County Public Accounts and Investments Committee invoked the law. It fined the governor Sh500,000 and invited police IG Hillary Mutyambai to arrest and produce him before the committee.
This was after he skipped three hearings—including a summon on audit queries for the last three financial years. It was not clear if he paid the fine but he has never appeared before the committee since members called for his arrest.
“We are dealing with a pandemic. It is our feeling as the Senate the governor is not taking this issue seriously because funds are misappropriated. Our invitation was to the CEO of the county," Mbito said.
Mbito ordered the meeting and the governor's appearance be pushed to Wednesday though members pushed him to issue a summons.
Senators Abdullahi Ali (Wajir), Millicent Omanga (Nominated), Fred Outa (Kisumu), Mary Seneta (Nominated), Ledama Olekina (Narok) and Beatrice Kwamboka (Nominated) criticised the governor for skipping the meeting.
They said the issues raised in the audit report involved accountability and could only be articulated by the county's CEO who is the governor.
“Article 179 of the Constitution says the governor is the CEO of the county. So, the responsibility falls under the governor. He's the person who was elected,” Olekina said.
Senator Seneta said, “These are issues to do with accountability and the responsibility lies squarely with the governor."
Outa demanded the governor be summoned to appear in a physical meeting as opposed to a virtual session.
But Olekina disagreed, citing the Covid-19 third wave.
According to the audit report, the county spent Sh213 million on Covid-19 items without approved work plans specific to Covid-19 activities.
This, according to the report, violated Section 107 (2) of the County Government Act, 2012 that requires the preparation of such plans to ensure sufficient and effective response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In addition, the county was criticised for making procurement worth Sh5.50 million without a requisition by the user department, thus violating procurement laws.
Murang'a awarded tenders worth Sh3 million to non-prequalified bidders contrary to the law, the audit report said.
It also failed to disclose the value of donations in its books of accounts, raising concerns that donated items were diverted, the report reads.
Further, Muranga did not utilise Danish International Development Agency funds, frontline health workers' allowances and the Kenya devolution support programme funds amounting to Sh100.45 million. These actions, or inactions, exposed public funds to value-for-money risks, the auditor said.
The committee has scheduled meetings with all 47 governors to explain the irregularities flagged by the auditor in Covid-19 spending.
The panel also wants the governors to discuss their counties' preparedness to combat the pandemic as well as the challenges they face.
The audit report said most counties failed to adhere to the Public Procurement and Assets Disposal Act (PPDA), 2015, in the procurement of the Covid-19 items.
In addition, most counties failed to conduct market surveys, most did not have approved procurement and training plans and systems and procedures to guide emergency procurements and procurement of Covid-19 items from non-prequalified bidders.
Such procurement without justification is contrary to section 106(2) of the PPADA, 2015.
Earlier EACC boss Twalib Mbarak had warned that money being allocated to fight the coronavirus pandemic should not be used for selfish gain.
Further, most counties had inefficient inventory management systems leading to the co-mingling of donated and procurement stock items. This comingling made it impossible to distinguish between procured and donated goods.
“The 13 most notorious counties in this regard included Bomet, Bungoma, Elgeyo Marakwet, Homa Bay, Kilifi, Kirinyaga, Kitui, Laikipia, Migori, Nandi, Samburu, Wajir and West Pokot,” the audit report reads.
(Edited by V. Graham)