Senators use audit reports to settle political scores, governors say

Audit reports is the latest battleground for senators and governors as supremacy contest between them heighten ahead of 2017 elections.

The reports prepared by the Auditor-General Edward Ouko capturing the governors’ expenditure over a particular financial year have turned out to be the needed fodder for senators, who are eyeing the top county posts next year.

The reports contain various audit queries on how public money was spent during the budget year in focus and are normally sent to the Senate for scrutiny.

The House established the County Public Accounts and Investments in 2014 to handle the reports.

Currently, the committee is chaired by Kisumu Senator Anyang’ Nyong’o and is scrutinising the 2013/14 audit reports.

It normally asks each governor to appear before it when his county’s report is presented.

Initially, there was little attention in the work of the committee but this has now changed as senators began showing lots of interest.

Governors who have appeared before the committee have complained that senators were using the queries to settle political scores.

Recently, Kiambu Governor William Kabogo bitterly protested before the House team that the County Senator Kimani Wamatangi was using the sittings to “play to the public gallery”.

“I am aware of plans by Senator Wamatangi to make sure allegations that Kiambu County is spending its money to buy alcohol are published,” Mr Kabogo said. 

Mr Wamatangi, a member of the committee, dismissed the accusation, saying he had not sent any text as claimed.

In the report, the auditor had questioned an unsettled imprest given to an official for “alcohol facilitation”.

But Governor Kabogo clarified that the official had been given the money to use in alcohol control during the campaign against illicit brew in the county.

POLITICAL SCORES
When Turkana Governor Josphat Nanok appeared, he faced a number of questions from the County Senator John Munyes who accused him of using allocated funds to enrich himself.

Although Mr Munyes, who has declared interest in the governor’s seat is not a member of the House team, he was allowed to ask questions as a “friend to the committee”.

Mr Nanok protested the presence of Mr Munyes and asked the then committee chairman, Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale, to restrain him. 

Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya declined to appear before the House team last year when it was being chaired by his Senator Khalwale, accusing the lawmaker of using the committee to push for his ouster.

The senator has publicly declared his interest on the governor’s seat. The issue of Oparanya’s appearance before the committee is still is pending.

Nyandarua Governor Waithaka Mwangi also had to face questions from his Senator Muriuki Karue, who is also a member of the Senate team.

Trans Nzoia Governor Patrick Khaemba and his Tharaka-Nithi counterpart Samuel Ragwa appeared before the same committee this week and had to respond to tough questions on the audit queries from senators.

Mr Khaemba faced off with Senator Henry ole Ndiema, also a member of the committee.

The tussle over who to chair the powerful committee early this year was also blamed on the quest by some members to use the committee for political gain ahead of next year’s polls.