- There were 7,850 beneficiaries who shared names but had different Mpesa lines who were paid Sh32.6 million
- Data provided revealed there were 38 payments to same Mpesa number but with different names amounting to Sh72,000
Image: Handout
Auditor General Nancy Gathungu has flagged Sh400 million that was allegedly disbursed to vulnerable people in urban areas to alleviate their suffering at the height of Covid-19.
In a special audit report on utilisation of Covid-19 funds for the period of March 13 to July 31, 2020, Gathugu said she could not confirm if beneficiaries of the Cash Transfer Programme Fund were urban dwellers.
She said identity card numbers of the recipients were not provided for audit and analysis.
“In absence of the identity card numbers and in view of the time constraint, the special audit was not able to independently verify that the recipients of the cash transfers were the bona fide beneficiaries or that the cash was received,” she said.
“Consequently, the lawfulness and effectiveness of utilisation of the Sh400 million could not be confirmed.”
The disbursements were done in four phases, the report noted.
It added that detailed Mpesa blasting reports showing the recipient’s phone number, names, receipt number, dates and amounts disbursed were provided for audit from Safaricom through the Fund’s accountants (PricewaterhouseCoopers).
“Location of the recipients was, however, not indicated, and as a result, the special audit could not therefore confirm if the beneficiaries were from urban informal settlements,” the report said.
The audit revealed that 97,515 persons benefited from the cash transfer programme. Out of these, 95,727 were registered Mpesa users while 1,788 were not registered, the report pointed out.
“The highest amount disbursed to a beneficiary was Sh24,000 while the least amount disbursed was Sh1,000,” the report showed.
It further added that analysis of the data provided revealed that there were 38 payments done to the same Mpesa telephone number but with different names amounting to Sh72,000.
“Similarly, there were 7,850 beneficiaries who shared names but had different Mpesa telephone lines who were paid a total of Sh32,626,000,” it said.
The government unveiled a Cash Transfer Programme of Sh400 million aimed at benefitting 100,000 Kenyans weekly in urban informal settlements for a period of one month.
The programme was to be guided by considerations such as persons who were on employment but rendered jobless due to Covid-19, persons within a family set up and those who had not been beneficiaries of funds from any government related intervention.
The Board of the Cash Transfer Programme approved the plan on June 2, 2020 and Sh400 million was transferred to MPESA Holding Company Limited to be disbursed to the identified beneficiaries.
In July 2020, the government’s cash transfer programme came under attack for allegedly failing to protect most of the vulnerable people.
A report of the Human Rights Watch, a civil society which investigates and reports on abuses, said those who suffered the most from the economic fallout had been left out.
The organisation claimed political leaders channelled some funds to friends, relatives, and supporters and said some enrolled participants received less money than promised.
It added that implementation of the programme was shrouded in secrecy.
The government rolled out the programme after it introduced measure to contain the spread of the pandemic.
The measures included a curfew, a stay-at-home order, school closures, movement restrictions and the banning of international flights.
People living in informal settlements, many of whom are dependent on casual labour, were particularly left vulnerable.
-Edited by SKanyara