• Fund is a Vision 2030 project for women, youths and persons with disability
• Audit flags millions in imprests to ghost officers and former staff members
Image: FILE
Auditor General Edward Ouko has raised fears Sh3.9 billion Uwezo Fund meant for special groups could have been misappropriated.
Ouko says the fund claimed to have disbursed Sh3,920,225,398 to women's groups across the country but supporting documents were missing.
The fund, the report indicates, had no key documents or even lists of loans disbursed to the various groups.
The Uwezo Fund is a flagship project of Vision 2030 aimed at enabling women, youths and persons with disability to access finances for businesses at the constituency level.
It also provides mentorship opportunities to enable the beneficiaries to take advantage of the 30 per cent government procurement preference through its capacity building programme.
“There were no ledgers detailing loans issued since inception and repayments made over the years on account of any loans recovery,” Ouko says in the report.
“There were also no comprehensive loan listings or analysis in support of outstanding loans.”
The 2017-18 report was tabled before the National Assembly by Majority Leader Aden Duale on Tuesday.
The report further reveals that up to Sh171 million administration costs the fund claimed to have transferred to constituencies could not be supported by any documentary evidence.
The auditor also questioned a further Sh5.4 million the fund claimed to have spent on transport and subsistence.
The money – according to Ouko – was part of the Sh25,786,899 the state agency used on transport but only Sh20 million was accounted for.
The fund dished out millions in imprest to ‘ghost’ officers and staff members who had already left the fund, hence complicating recovery efforts, the report said.
“A total of Sh492,427 relating to outstanding imprest was in respect to officers who have already left the fund, making recovery doubtful.”
The same officers were issued with multiple imprests totalling Sh10 million even before the previous one was surrendered which is in breach of the law.
“Records held by the fund show that imprest totaling Sh7,495,234 were issued to persons whose details, personal numbers and job groups were not indicated in the imprest schedule,” Ouko said.
Edited by R.Wamochie