The Kisumu county government does not have a logbook for a water drilling rig costing Sh59,122,815, the Auditor General has reported.
The rig was purchased to help areas facing acute water shortage.
The report for 2016-17 by Auditor General Edward Ouko also shows three rig components are not registered in the fixed-asset register.
The auditor also said Sh11,961,489 spent on a specialised plant and equipment was not supported by documents. Concerning civil works, Kisumu paid an additional Sh713,141 to build Korowe market in Nyando
The tender was awarded to a construction firm for Sh34,567,338, however, a review of payments made revealed Sh35,280,479 was paid out.
Further, a physical verification by auditors in January revealed that an ablution block costing Sh2,571,730, according to the bill of quantities, had not been constructed. But the amount was factored into payments made. The perimeter wall had developed huge cracks and had not been painted.
On Monday Senator Fred Outa called on government agencies to act on the audit report and identify those responsible for massive losses of public funds. He handed the report to the EACC and DPP offices in Kisumu. The audit report said as at June 2017, the county’s bank balance appeared to be Sh1,356,986,921, however, cash books were not availed for audit review.
Similarly, reconciliation statements for 19 bank accounts with balances totalling Sh1,359,280,204 were not availed for review. Bank statements for six bank accounts with balances totalling Sh19,887,952 also were not availed.
According to the report, Sh704,333,214 was transferred from other government entities, including grants of Sh351,445,087 to a level 5 hospital. However, hospital records revealed that the executive had only disbursed Sh205,595,356, leaving Sh145,849,731 unexplained
The hospital’s prorated distribution of free maternity funds indicate it should have reached Sh116,550,000 from the scheme between July 1, 2013, to June 30, 2017.
The hospital had only been reimbursed Sh90,140,000 by June 30, leaving Sh26,410,000 unaccounted for.
“Consequently, the accuracy and completeness of the transfer from other government entities of Sh704,333,216 could not be confirmed,” the report said.