Senate asked to probe loss of county’s Sh1.6bn
Senate's Public Accounts Committee chairman Dr Boni Khalwale. Vihiga Senator George Khaniri has urged the Senate's committee to probe alleged loss of county funds amounting Sh1.6 billion. PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- 12 Vihiga MCAs and more than 1,000 residents signed petition to persuade Senate investigate county's executive accounts.
- Petitioner's want Senate's Public Accounts Committee to probe the alleged loss of Sh1.6 billion.
- Petitioners allege the county Emergency Fund was used to make irregular payments.
Vihiga Senator George Khaniri on Tuesday asked the Senate to investigate the loss of county cash amounting to Sh1.6 billion.
The petition was signed by 12 members of the County Assembly and more than 1,000 residents. It has a list of seven issues they want addressed by the Senate’s Public Accounts Committee, chaired by Dr Boni Khalwale.
Mr Khaniri wants the Auditor-General Edward Ouko to inquire into the county executive’s accounts.
“It is necessary for the Senate to take over the matter after the County Assembly failed to deal with it,” he said.
The petitioners want the Senate to establish how the Sh1.6 billion received from the Exchequer for development during the 2014/2015 financial year was spent.
IRREGULARLY PAID
“The Senate should also establish how Sh106 million meant for the Vihiga County emergency fund was spent,” says the petition.
The petitioners claimed the county's Emergency Fund was used to irregularly pay some firms and individuals in contravention of the law.
The senator also wants investigations into remittances from the Emergency Fund to the Council of Governors amounting to Sh8.3 million, and another Sh3.5 million that was allegedly paid to Ahadi Trust.
The petition was drafted after the Assembly rejected a report by a committee that investigated the county’s financial predicament and the cause of a Sh2.5 billion debt.
