Water supply to Kibaki’s Othaya home may be cut over Sh500,000 unpaid bill
Former President Mwai Kibaki. Water supply to his Othaya home may be disconnected due to an unpaid bill amounting to Sh500,000. FILE PHOTO | MARTIN MUKANGU | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Others in the list of the major debtors include Chinga Girls High School, which owes the water company Sh5 million, and some local banks.
- Committee chairman Stephen Mwaniki (Dedan Kimathi Ward) put the firm to task for failing to explain how Sh66 million was spent.
- Mr Kibaki’s spokesman Gituku Ngari, however, refused to comment on the debt issue.
- He said such matters are handled by the government according to the law on former presidents’ perks.
Former President Mwai Kibaki owes a water company Sh500,000 and supply to his Othaya home may be disconnected, MCAs were told Thursday.
Othaya Mukurweini Water Company bosses told the Nyeri County Assembly Health and Sanitation Committee that the bill by the former President has accrued since 2013.
The company officials were put to task by members of the county assembly for failing to collect Sh108 million in debt since 2013.
The former President is one of the major individual debtors.
Others in the list of the major debtors include Chinga Girls High School, which owes the water company Sh5 million, and some local banks.
“We approached Kibaki a few years ago before he left office and he ordered State House to settle the amount. They paid Sh200,000 then,” company internal auditor Peter Ndirangu said.
Committee chairman Stephen Mwaniki (Dedan Kimathi Ward) put the firm to task for failing to explain how Sh66 million was spent.
DOCUMENTS MISSING
But the auditor admitted that some documents were missing and asked for more time to get them.
“We did not know that we were required to produce such documents,” he said.
He told the MCAs that the company does not have an updated list of its debtor and has not disconnected water to supply to those who owe it money.
““This shows that your officers receive bribes to keep water taps flowing. If this debt trend continues, you will be insolvent in a few years,” warned Mr Mwaniki.
Mr Ndirangu, however, said they had installed a new system to capture more data, including the debt recovered.
There was an exchange between the auditor and Mr Mwaniki when the chairman demanded a report by the water firm’s audit committee board.
Mr Kibaki’s spokesman Gituku Ngari, however, refused to comment on the debt issue, saying such matters are handled by the government according to the law on former presidents’ perks.
“Such reports are confidential and we cannot produce them. They are with the board,” said Mr Ndirangu.
Mr Mwaniki countered: “This is a public firm using public resources and the records must be produced.”
