The Senate County Public Accounts Committee wants the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Committee and Directorate of Criminal Investigations to probe a number of county officers over actions or inactions that could have led to wastage or loss of funds.
In a report tabled in the House, the panel also wants the committee to investigate county projects and programmes where large sums of money were sunk. The committee is chaired by Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang.
The counties are Tharaka Nithi, Homa Bay, Kakamega, Kirinyaga, Makueni, Meru, Bomet, Murang’a, Nandi, Nyamira, Siaya, Nyeri, Vihiga, Wajir and Samburu.
Kajwang tabled the reports in the Chamber on Tuesday after scrutinising audit reports for the county executives for the 2019-20 financial year.
In Kakamega, the committee has invited the EACC to investigate possible loss of Sh15 million the county Assembly sent to the Kakamega County Urban Water and Sewerage Company. The money could not be traced
The county had released Sh27 million to the company but only Sh12 million could be tracked.
“The balance of Sh15 million was deposited in a separate bank account whose details were not provided for audit review,” the report states.
The report adds: “The Committee recommends the EACC to investigate the possible loss of public funds amounting to Sh15 million.”
In Bomet, the committee wants the EACC to investigate an accounting officer and other responsible officers over wastage and imprudent use of Sh90 million.
The officers authorised the use of funds, supposedly for public participation activities funded through imprests to officers, contrary to the Regulations of Public Finance Act, 2012.
“The Committee observed the county spent Sh90 million on public participation in one financial year at the expense of development projects.
“The committee observed this was imprudent,” the panel said in the report.
The panel further wants the EACC to recover Sh8.86 million the county government irregularly sent to the Council of Governors.
“The EACC should oversee the recovery of all the public funds irregularly transferred to the COG by the Governor. This is in line with the resolution of the Senate,” the committee said.
In addition, the Committee wants the DCI to investigate questionable pending bills amounting to Sh696 million and prosecute those found culpable of filing false claims.
In Tharaka Nithi, the committee wants DCI to investigate Sh18.23 million in unsupported pending bills.
The bills were not supported while creditors’ ledgers were not provided to ascertain the creditors’ movement during the year, triggering questions about the validity of the bills.
“The committee recommends pending bills deemed ineligible should be forwarded to the DCI for investigation and proper legal action taken against those filing false claims,” the report states.
In Homa Bay, the panel wants the EACC to investigate circumstances under which contracts for various projects were varied and the projects stalled.
They include the construction of an animal feed factory at Arujo for Sh45 million and the slow pace of construction of Homa Bay Stadium for Sh369 million.
According to the report, the county paid Sh123 million in the first year of the contract. Later, the project contract was varied and the amount increased.
However, the county did not quantify the variation.
“The committee recommends the EACC carry out an investigation to ascertain whether the variation was lawful and whether all the project components were delivered as per contract,” the report read
The panel has also asked the Commission to investigate how the county government spent nothing to collect liquor licensing fees against a budget of Sh1.46 million.
The county did not prepare or submit for audit the financial statements of the Alcoholic Drinks Control Fund.
“The committee recommends that the EACC investigates the operationalisation of the fund since inception to date with the view to establishing if there has been impropriety in the management and utilisation of the funds,” the report reads.
The panel wants DCI to probe individuals or cartels filing false claims for pending bills amounting to Sh136 million.
In Kirinyaga county, the committee wants DCI to investigate individuals behind “distortion” of pending bills records, putting at risk of loss of millions of taxpayers’ money.
In Makueni, the committee wants the EACC to oversee the recovery of all public funds “irregularly” transferred to the Council of Governors by former Governor Kivutha Kibwana.
The county had paid Sh4.70 million to COG but the committee argued the payment was irregular and violated the resolution of the Senate and the Intergovernmental Relations Act, 2012.
The Senate had asked the counties to stop funding COG, adding that doing so was illegal, as COG is supposed to be funded by the Treasury.
The Commission wants EACC to investigate the circumstances under which the Meru county government failed to provide contract documents with a revenue collection firm.
The documents were to be submitted to auditors to establish whether the county got value for money in the procurement of the system against revenue – Sh583 million – it collected during the year
“The EACC should carry out a review of revenue collection systems and processes in the county to establish whether the non-provision of documents was an effort to cover up the loss of public funds and recommend prosecution of culpable officers in line with the Public Audit Act,” the report states.
It also wants DCI to probe ineligible pending bills amounting to millions of shillings.
Further, the committee has asked the EACC to pursue a contractor who received excess payments running into millions for the construction of a boundary wall at Githongo Stadium.
“The committee recommends the EACC to pursue the contractor with the view of recovering the extra amount paid to him or her,” the report states.
In Murang’a, the committee has invited DCI to probe Sh1.25 billion pending bills.
In Nandi, the Senate panel wants the DCI to investigate questionable pending bills amounting to Sh331 million.
“Pending bills deemed ineligible should be forwarded to the DCI for investigations and proper legal action taken against those filing false claims,” the report states.
