Sh1.47bn unaccounted for at Immigration Department

Auditor-General Edward Ouko during a past function. He has said that the Immigration Department could have lost Sh1.47 billion in two financial years as it failed to account for passports and visa stickers issued to consulates and Kenya’s embassies abroad. Photo/FILE

What you need to know:

  • From the auditors’ scrutiny, the total revenue collected of Sh2.9 billion differed with the Sh1.5 billion in the financial statements provided for scrutiny.
  • The Police Service has also been put on the spot over the management of cash bails.
  • Base commanders in Siaya and Pangani also failed to hand over cash bails of Sh205,000 and Sh1.4 million respectively.

The Immigration Department could have lost Sh1.47 billion in two financial years, the Auditor-General has said, as it failed to account for passports and visa stickers issued to consulates and Kenya’s embassies abroad.

The Auditor-General said in a report tabled in the National Assembly last week that visa stickers worth Sh2.7 billion, 39,900 blank passports worth Sh202.5 million and 13,872 printed passports were issued in the 2013/14 and 2014/15 financial years.

From the auditors’ scrutiny, the total revenue collected of Sh2.9 billion differed with the Sh1.5 billion in the financial statements provided for scrutiny.

He concluded: “The resultant loss of Sh1.47 billion has not been accounted for to date.”

The Auditor-General said that embassies in Washington DC, London, Berlin and Pretoria were indicated to have been given blank passports valued at Sh133 million. But their issuance was not recorded in the registers as required by law and the foreign missions did not produce them for verification.

VISA STICKERS

The department also told auditors that visa stickers and passports were not listed in the Public Finance Management Act as accountable documents.

The Directorate of Immigration and Registration of Persons could also have lost Sh5.1 million after a firm paid to install security cameras at Nyayo House, Malaba and Lwakhakha failed to do so in the last two locations.

The Police Service has also been put on the spot over the management of cash bails. Auditors reviewing this said Mombasa, Kilimani and Kasarani  police stations collected but failed to hand over to police headquarters some Sh6.2 million.

Base commanders in Siaya and Pangani also failed to hand over cash bails of Sh205,000 and Sh1.4 million respectively.

The OCPD of Mombasa was reported to have lost 10 cash bail books, with the Auditor-General saying their existence and usage could not be determined.