House team given seven days to evaluate Auditor General’s report
The Senate has given House teams seven days to form an oversight committee to evaluate the Auditor General’s report for the 2019/2020 fiscal year.
Senators, on the other hand, lamented inactivity and the failure of investigative authorities to act on audit reports, citing fears about widespread corruption in counties.
The lawmakers, led by Vihiga Senator George Khaniri said that the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) do not take action against misappropriation of funds in counties.
Even after the yet-to-be-established County Public Accounts and Investments Committee (CPAIC) examines the Auditor-audit General’s findings and provides recommendations to the EACC and DCI, Khaniri claims that Kenyans have yet to see action taken against perpetrators.
“There is a lot of concern on the oversight role of county governments. The primary oversight is done by county assemblies, and we only do secondary oversight, but people want action,” Khaniri said.
His allies bemoaned the majority and minority leadership’s slowness in forming the committee.
“This Parliament’s life is coming to an end very soon. There is a lack of implementation by EACC and DCI whenever we act on these reports. Speaker Kenneth Lusaka has directed the majority and minority leadership to submit names to the committee formerly chaired by Migori Senator Ochillo Ayacko to begin an investigation into county government financial audit reports by tomorrow.
Hundreds of millions of dollars CPAIC, is in charge of overseeing the spending of billions of dollars in taxpayer funds by county executives and assemblies.
On audit questions, it grills governors, Speakers and top finance officers. The committee is sessional, which means that its term ends at the end of each session (year), and a new one must be formed.
Lusaka spoke as legislators put on investigating agencies to rein in rampant corruption in devolved units.
Many governors and their finance managers, the legislators claimed, were not held accountable, particularly those in their final terms despite being accused of significant financial misdeeds by the Senate.
Senator Moses Kajwang of Homa Bay, who chaired the committee for two periods (2017-2019 and 2019-2020), said his staff presented bold suggestions to the committee, including prosecution, investigation, and surcharges to the investigative agencies: EACC,
