Auditor General Nancy Gathungu /FILE
A standoff between the National Environment Management Authority and a South African supplier left Kenya without air quality reports for nearly a year.
Auditor General Nancy Gathungu found that the authority was unable to generate reports after its Sh67 million air quality monitoring equipment lay idle between February and November last year.
This was in her review of Nema’s accounts for the period ending June 30, 2024.
The lapse arose after Nema failed to pay the required annual licence fees.
“The authority could not, therefore, generate air quality reports to disseminate to the public and other users during the period the equipment was idle,” Gathungu said.
The report also raised concerns about weak revenue collection systems, noting Nema relies on self-declaration of project values by clients, with only one quantity surveyor reviewing thousands of annual applications.
This exposes the agency to risks of errors, collusion or fraud.
Further, the audit found Nema lacks a comprehensive database of regulated facilities.
This weakens oversight of critical sectors, such as petrol stations, hospitals, manufacturers and agricultural processors.
The authority was also flagged for delays in implementing its enterprise resource planning system, which was only 35 per cent complete by December 2024, with no explanation for the delay.
The Auditor General also questioned the Nema board’s use of Sh5.6 million on field visits, saying this went beyond its governance role under the Mwongozo Code.
Nema was additionally cited for staff shortages, with 23 per cent of its positions vacant, raising concerns over overstretched personnel and potential compromise in service delivery.
