Reps on the spot over Sh902m allowances
Nyeri County Assembly Speaker David Mugo speaking during a Nyeri County Consultative meeting at Sportsmans Arms hotel in Nanyuki on October 30, 2015. Nyeri County Assembly Service Board, chaired by Mr Mugo, has been accused of holding 11 meetings within four days yet the maximum number allowed was eight. PHOTO | JOSEPH KANYI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- The Auditor-General’s report says MCAs and county assembly staff made 18 foreign trips to various countries in Europe, Asia and Africa but 11 of them were not necessary.
- Members of the board, chaired by Speaker David Mugo, held 11 meetings within four days yet the maximum number allowed was eight.
Members of the Nyeri County Assembly inflated the number of sittings and made irrelevant trips abroad to earn Sh902 million in allowances, a report by the audit office shows.
The Auditor-General’s report says Member of the County Assemblies (MCAs) and county assembly staff made 18 foreign trips to various countries in Europe, Asia and Africa but 11 of them were not necessary.
This is because there was no report that was tabled after the trips.
Last month, National Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich banned foreign travel.
The audit report focusing on last year’s expenses shows that MCAs and the County Assembly Service Board held more meetings than allowed by law, yet earned sitting allowances even for the illegal ones.
The report cites meetings by the board held from October 7 to 13.
Members of the board, chaired by Speaker David Mugo, held 11 meetings within four days yet the maximum number allowed was eight.
They are said to have earned Sh41,000 each from the illegal meetings only.
Other illegal meetings between October 22 and 26 saw board members earn Sh87,000 each in four days, according to the report.
A DISTURBING REPORT
The document notes that on foreign trips alone, the assembly guzzled Sh89 million.
The Liaison Committee travelled to Norway and the Budget Committee to Rwanda to learn about the Integrated Financial Management Information System.
The IT system is also available at the Treasury. Others went to Singapore, the Netherlands and Israel.
On travel allowances, MCAs received money to supposedly attend training at Hilton Hotel from November 6 to 9, 2013.
“But it is not possible to confirm if the MCAs attended the training since the attendance register, workshop programme and report for this training were not produced for review,” says the report.
Another Sh375,000 was given to the Finance and Budget Committee supposedly for trips to Nairobi, Bomet and Machakos counties for a survey.
It was not possible to confirm if members of the committee travelled to the counties since no survey report and evidence for the trip were provided for audit.
