Nakuru Governor under fire over funds misuse

Pressure continues to mount on Governor Kinuthia Mbugua following an Auditor General's report that detailed wanton misuse of funds amounting to millions of shillings in the 2013/2014 financial year.

Residents yesterday demanded that the governor appears in a public forum to shed more light into queries raised in the report.

In a forum organised by civil rights groups at ACK Church Cathedral Hall, residents demanded that Mbugua and members of the Executive committee attend the forum scheduled for next month.

Led by officials of Centre for Good Governance and Democracy (CEGGD), they warned that should the governor and his senior members fail to attend the meeting, they will be forced to move to court and seek orders to freeze the county government's accounts. CEGGD Programme Officer Kemuche Masese and Nakuru Civil Societies Local Urban Forum leader Simon ole Nasieku said it was their constitutional right to demand accountability in the management of the county resources.

Masese accused members of county assembly of failing in their oversight role, forcing residents to confront the Executive after the report was released last week.
"Since the report came to public knowledge, not even a single member of the county assembly has come forward to ask the Executive to explain the massive looting unearthed by the Auditor General," Masese said.

Nasieku claimed some executive members were involved in looting to finance their campaigns for various political seats in the 2017 General Elections.
"We have established that at least 16 senior officials have been engaging in early campaigns, both in and outside the county, hence the looting to sustain their campaigns," he said.

The report that has since seen Mbugua appear before the Senate Public Accounts Committee unearthed massive financial irregularities. According to the report, the county could have lost more than Sh500 million between 2013-2014 through fictitious claims and poor budgetary control.

The report also says millions of shillings might have landed in the wrong hands after the county government flouted procurement rules in purchase of vehicles, tippers and office equipment.

The Auditor General further took issue with the governor after he 'gave' MCAs Sh150 million to buy luxury cars although the money had not been budgeted for.