Breaking News: KDF chopper crash kills five in West Pokot
Irregular rise in wage bill puts Kiambu on the spot
Kiambu Governor William Kabogo (left) with Commission on Revenue Allocation Chairman Micah Cheserem during the County Revenue Automation Conference at Sarova Whitesands Beach Resort and Spa in Mombasa on November 30, 2016. Irregular rise in wage bill puts Kiambu on the spot. PHOTO | WACHIRA MWANGI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- A total of Sh4.4 billion was budgeted for salaries in the year under review, reflecting an under-expense of Sh86 million.
The Kiambu County Government failed to account for an additional Sh209 million spent on salaries in the last financial year, a report by the Auditor-General has revealed.
According to the report, Governor William Kabogo’s administration spent Sh4.323 billion on salaries and wages in 2014/2015 and Sh4.114 billion in 2013/2014, but did not provide an explanations for the increase.
A total of Sh4.4 billion was budgeted for salaries in the year under review, reflecting an under-expense of Sh86 million.
The report also said the county spent Sh11.68 million on a neurosurgery unit at the Kiambu Level Four Hospital which does not exist.
It says Sh4 million was used to partition, paint and repair a ward that would house the unit.
Another Sh6.1 million was spent on theatre lighting and related equipment, Sh733,620 on oxygen piping, while Sh723,000 was used on air conditioning.
The auditor noted that by the time of completing the report, the facility that had sparked a storm among county leaders, was not in use.
The county spent Sh18.3 million on medical equipment, non-pharmaceutical items and drugs a few weeks to the close of the 2014/2015 financial year.
However, the auditor revealed that most of the goods were lying in the stores, raising questions why such large quantities were procured.
The room where these items were kept was old and dilapidated, the report says, adding that the drugs were stored in unsafe and unhygienic conditions.
The county government is also on the spot for awarding tenders to contractors with higher bids than others.
The county awarded two contracts for construction of a bus park at Nderi Shopping Centre and rehabilitation of a drainage system at Dagoretti Bus Park to M/s Ndeiya Construction at a cost of Sh1.9 million and Sh811,000 respectively.
“A review of quotations by five different companies for the Nderi Bus Park tender showed that the company was the second highest bidder as M/s Digene had quoted Sh902,000,” says the report.
For the Dagoretti Bus Park tender, M/s Ndeiya was again the second highest bidder, with the lowest, M/s Yang Yang Construction, quoting Sh711,000.
