Wa Iria, senators in heated exchange over Covid funds
Hillary Mageka @hillarymageka
An online session of a Senate committee almost turned ugly as Murang’a Governor Mwangi Wa Iria and Senators engaged in a heated exchange.
Wa Iria had been invited by the committee to answer Auditor General Nancy Gathungu’s queries of questionable spending of Covid-19 funds by the county.
Health Committee session of the Upper House via Zoom, was preceded by drama as Wa Iria and stand-in chairman, Narok Senator Ledama ole Kina, engaged in a fierce argument.
“Senator, first of all I want to express my disappointment because my people were chased away last time,” Wa Iria said when he was invited to introduce his team.
He was referring to a Monday session where his county’s Health CEC Joseph Mbai, whom the governor had sent to respond to the audit queries, was turned away by the committee.
County CEO
Chaired by Trans Nzoia Senator Michael Mbito, the committee had ruled that it could not receive submissions from the CEC as it had invited the governor in his capacity as the county chief executive officer.
“Your people were not sent away, it is the tradition that since Article 179 of the Constitution puts you as the CEO, it is you who would be answering the questions,” Kina said.
But the governor insisted he wanted to make a comment before the proceedings.
Kina: “Kindly governor, I will allow you time to give any comment.”
Wa iria: “But you can’t deny me an opportunity to give a comment. I must say something at the beginning. We can’t just dive into issues.”
The governor argued that the committee had invited the executive and not necessarily the governor. “So when they were sent away, everybody wondered because these are departmental issues. I am not a departmental head,” he said.
Kina insisted the team had invited the governor not the CECs. But the governor responded with the claim he had heard Kina “abusing people.”
“Excuse me?” Kina posed, as the proceedings appeared to get out of control with the governor hurling some unprintable words.
Nominated Senator Beatrice Kwamboka intervened, telling the governor to “address us with respect.”
Double payment
The governor had been summoned to address the Auditor General’s special audit report on the utilisation of Covid-19 funds.
Wa Iria was asked to justify his administration’s expenditure of Sh213.41 million without work plans contrary to the provisions of the County Governments Act.
But he said the plans had been developed by the national emergency response committee in collaboration with the county executive.
Kina told the governor to send the plans to the committee and the Auditor General in a week’s time, failure to which the team would file a report indicting the county.
Wa Iria was also asked to explain why his administration double paid a supplier for the supply of hydrogen peroxide. The county paid Sh344,000 instead of Sh172,000 to Saku Pharmaceuticals.
Wa Iria admitted his officers had double paid the company but said the payments had been reversed as the matter was being investigated with a view of punishing the offenders.
