• Details of the expenditure and supporting documents were not provided for audit review.
• Sonko launched a city beautification programme to match other world's best cities.
The Nairobi government has been put to task after Sh18 million was unaccounted for in the beautification of the city.
Governor Mike Sonko has been beautifying the county since he took office in 2017.
Auditor General Edward Ouko's report revealed that the cash was used on casual payments during the financial year of 2017/18.
But details of the expenditure and supporting documents were not provided.
Ouko said the examination of records further showed that payment vouchers for expenditure totalling Sh640,000 were processed in respect of surrender of imprests for the beautification programme.
An audit inspection was done on November 16, 2018, and revealed that beautification of the Nairobi was going along Jogoo Road, Lusaka Road, Uhuru Highway and Likoni Road roundabout.
AMBITIOUS CITY PROJECT
Last year, Sonko launched a city beautification programme to match other world's best cities.
Sonko said the county will plant flowers and grass major the roads and pavements in the Central Business District.
The beautification programme comes barely days after Nairobi was ranked the topmost dynamic city in Africa, in a new global rating.
According to the JLL 2017 City Momentum Index (CMI) released on Friday, the city was rated number three in the continent.
"Indications are that no specialists in landscaping were engaged to provide assurance on the success of the project," Ouko said.
In the report, the Auditor General said it was observed that undermined expenditure was incurred on the purchase of materials.
The materials are; cement, PVS pipes, cedar poles, galvanised wire, barbed wire, red soil, manure, ballast, paints, flowers and grass used for the beautification.
But the management did not provide any record to show the cost of these goods and services and the method of procurement used.
"Consequently, it was not possible to ascertain that value for money was realised in the beautification project," Ouko added.