The Senate Public Accounts Committee has directed the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to conclude investigations into the failure by staff of Bungoma County executive to surrender imprests amounting to Sh67.1 million.
The committee gave the directive after it emerged that the employees have failed to surrender the funds because the Commission had carted away crucial documents related to the imprests in 2019.
Committee chairman Moses Kajwang, directed EACC to complete investigations to bring the matter to conclusion.
“We want you to complete the investigations so that those concerned should not use EACC as justification for their failure to surrender the money,” said Senator Kajwang, warning that any further delay in the investigations will force the committee to hold EACC and its CEO to account.
The directive was issued when Bungoma Governor Kenneth Lusaka appeared before the committee to defend the county’s revenue and expenditure account for the 2019/20 financial year.
Besides Governor Lusaka, Governors Wisley Rotich (Elgeyo Marakwet) and Cecily Mbarire (Embu) also appeared before the committee in the same week.
However, the Committee did not listen to Governor Mbarire as she did not supply some crucial documents related to her county’s accounts.
Governor Lusaka is the former Speaker of the Senate having served between 2017 and 2022.
Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu said the Boungoma county had issued imprests totaling Sh67.1 million for the year ending June 30, 2020.
Senate Public Accounts Committee chair Moses Kajwang.
An audit carried out in December of the same year indicates that imprests totaling Sh8.9 million had been accounted for, leaving a balance of Sh58 million still outstanding.
This is contrary to Regulation 93(5) of the Public Finance Management (County Governments) Regulations, 2015 which requires imprest holders to surrender or account for imprests within seven working days after returning to duty station.
The committee asked Governor Rotich to develop a legal regime that will govern tertiary training Colleges as well as local and foreign universities duly recognised by the County Government.
The county incurred an expenditure of Sh11 million in fees on behalf of 25 students who had enrolled at Tampere University of Applied Science Ltd in Finland.
In February 2020 parents to the 25 students signed a contract in which the county was to pay tuition fees for those who enrolled at the University.
Six months earlier, September 2019, the county signed a co-operation agreement with the University to enroll students from the County in a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree programme.
The agreement provided for the County to recruit students to the programme, accredit the degree programme with the Nursing Council of Kenya, and find suitable practical training placements for the students.
Parents to the students enrolled on the programme paid tuition fees through the County Education Fund Account, which is Contrary to Section 6 of the Elgeyo/ Marakwet County Education Act, 2017.
“There is no evidence that the County Executive obtained accreditation for the degree programme from the Nursing Council of Kenya,” notes the Auditor General.
The County obtained no responses to letters it addressed to the Nursing Council of Kenya and the Commission of Higher Education on the matter.
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