Senators criticise CoG on Covid-19 funds audit
A Senate committee has protested an alleged letter in which governors directed the Auditor General against conducting further audits on the utilisation of Covid-19 funds by county governments.
The protest follows Auditor General Nancy Gathungu’s indictment of governors in March for alleged misappropriation of Covid-19 related funds through flouted procurement and the payment of fictitious tenders resulting in the loss of billions of shillings.
In her report, Gathungu prosecuted at least 27 counties for lack of competitive bidding while four allegedly dished out tenders to non-prequalified bidders.
Six other county governments did procurement without carrying any market the survey, two misappropriated Kenya Devolution Support Project funds, three irregularly split procurement contracts contrary to section 54 (1) of the PPADA act 2015 and four procured goods without valid contracts.
The county governments received the Covid-19 related funding amounting to Sh7.7 billion comprising the conditional grants Sh5 billion allowances for the frontline health workers Sh2.6 billion and grants from Danida of Sh350 million.
Appearing before the Senate Health Committee yesterday to respond to audit the queries on utilization of Covid funds by Embu County government, Council of Governors chair Martin Wambora stunned senators when he suggested that governors will no longer entertain auditors in their respective jurisdiction for “misinterpreting the facts.”
“We had a full council meeting last week and told the office of the Auditor-General not to continue with auditing counties of use of covid -19 funds because ‘we are busy with the Senate’,” Wambora told the committee chaired by Trans Nzoia Senator Michael Mbito, adding that letter had been delivered to the auditor general’s office.
