Anti-graft agency orders Laikipia County to act on corruption risk report

Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission has ordered Laikipia County government to submit a report on how it plans to implement recommendations of a corruption risk assessment report.

Commissioner Rose Mghoi-Macharia said both the executive and the assembly have a month to show the commission how they will address various shortcomings in their systems which were highlighted as likely to promote graft in the regional government.

“The commission expects Laikipia county executive and assembly to immediately embark on implementation made in these reports,” Ms Mghoi-Macharia said while presenting the reports to Governor Joshua Irungu and Speaker Patrick Mariru in Nanyuki on Tuesday.

She said the plans will assist both the EACC and county executive and assembly to engage in continuous monitoring of the implementation processes.

Some of the issues raised in the assembly report indicate there were double payment for MCAs as they were holding most of their committee meetings outside Nanyuki where they would receive subsistence and accommodation allowances.

Attendance registers were neither signed nor closed and this could give room to members who were absent to receive allowances.

The report found out that county also lacked a committee to ensure the internal audit unit operates independently and recommended one to be formed.

WEAKNESS OF INSTITUTIONS

The report warned that failure to implement recommendation of auditor-general’s report in good time would lead to weaknesses of the institutions.

The county executive was also faulted the use of casual employees in the collection of revenue, management of implements and payment of vouchers without going through the required processes.

“Officers are being issued with imprests without surrendering the previous ones,” the report said adding that more than Sh22 million had not been surrendered by the time of the survey.

It said there was no reconciliation of deposited revenue with bank statements and recommended that the executive arrange with banks to have statements frequently.

Unison sacco, which has been administering the county’s mortgage and car loans, has not been submitting reports on the progress on deductions, the report said.

The assessments were done in December last year after the executive and the assembly signed a partnership agreement with the commission as part of its preventive services.

The report named county departments most prone to department as procurement, finance, lands, health, public service board, roads and infrastructure.

Ms Mghoi-Macharia said the assessments were not meant to attach criminal culpability but to prevent corruption. Similar exercises have been carried out in Kwale, Kisii, Kericho and Homa Bay.

Mr Irungu warned county officers that they will be individually accountable for any corruption issues within their departments.

Mr Mariru said the assembly had implemented most of the recommendations over the past year including the formation of anti—corruption committee.