18 governors to face senators on cash use
What you need to know:
Embu, Lamu, Nairobi, Kiambu, Wajir, Migori, Homa Bay, Kisii, Taita Taveta and Murang’a governors face questions.
Other are Tana River, Meru, Isiolo, Turkana, Kirinyaga, Mombasa, Mombasa, West Pokot and Kilifi where massive audit queries have been raised by Auditor-General Edward Ouko.
Eighteen governors have been summoned by the Senate Public Accounts and Investments Committee to respond to audit queries regarding the 2017/18 financial year expenditure.
The committee, chaired by Homabay Senator Moses Kajwang, will investigate Embu, Lamu, Nairobi, Kiambu, Wajir, Migori, Homa Bay, Kisii, Taita Taveta and Murang’a governors.
Massive audit queries
Other counties listed in the summons signed by Clerk of the Senate are Tana River, Meru, Isiolo, Turkana, Kirinyaga, Mombasa, Mombasa, West Pokot and Kilifi where massive audit queries have been raised.
They should appear before the committee on diverse dates between April 25 and May 30.
Embu Governor Martin Wambora, listed as the first to appear before the committee, has been booked for 9.30am on April 25. He is expected to respond to, among other things, claims that his administration could not explain how it spent an extra Sh494 million.
According to Auditor-General Edward Ouko’s report, only Sh3.23 billion out of Embu’s Sh5.29 billion spend, had supportive documents.
Lamu County’s Fahim Twaha will meet the committee on April 26. He is accused of failing to account for how payment for salaries exceeded the limit by Sh78.2 million.
Nairobi County’s Mike Sonko is due to appear before the committee on April 29 and 30 and has been cited for failing to disclose bank balances of Sh3.045 billion, a KCB loan account and Sh2.6 million at Pumwani hospital, among others.
Salaries above budget
Wajir Governor Mohamed Abdi Mohamud will appear before the committee on May 2, when he will be queried on how his county spent Sh350 million more on salaries above budget.
Governor Ferdinand Waititu (Kiambu) is scheduled to appear before the committee on May 2 to answer to queries on alleged understatement of the county’s cash and bank balances amounting to millions.
