Mvurya pays Sh200, 000 fine slapped on him by Senate house team

Kwale Governor Salim Mvurya when he appeared before the Senate County Public Accounts and Investment Committee on audit queries at Parliament on Tuesday 04/09/18. [Boniface Okendo,Standard]

Kwale Governor Salim Mvurya has paid parliament a Sh200, 000 fine that was slapped against him for failing to honour summons.

The Governor yesterday told members of the Senate County Public Accounts and Investment Committee that he has duly complied with the order issued two months. 

On July 19, the  committee’s Vice  Chairperson Senator Mithika Linturi (Meru) in an unprecedented move  asked the governor to pay the fine  after he failed  to heed an invite to respond to questions raised by the  Auditor during the 2014/2015 Financial Year.

“I have paid the personal fine of Sh200, 000 as directed   by the committee,” said Mr Mvurya while appearing before the committee to respond to the queries raised by Auditor General Edward Ouko.

While issuing the ruling, Mr Linturi noted that the county chief did not issue the House team with a satisfactory reason as to why he was unable to honour the summons to appear May 9.

The committee is chaired by Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang’.

Yesterday, Governor Mvurya was put on the spot over Sh8.7 million that his administration spent in purchasing tree seedlings during the period under review.

Mr Ouko in his report had flagged the expenditure of Sh8, 735,000, noting that a visit in all the wards by the auditors did not establish whether the seedlings were planted in the first place.

Ouko in his report said his audit team could not locate where the seedlings were planted contrary to the claims made by the Governor.

The Governor confirmed that   indeed 200,000 seedlings were purchased and planted but explained that they dried up due to unfavourable weather conditions experienced in the coastal county at that time.

At the session Senator Sam Ongeri (Kisii) wondered how the country administration rolled-out the massive tree planting exercise, without establishing first that the weather was reliable.

 “You should have done good timing and rolled out the ambitious project when the weather is favourable.   I am sure there were signs that the weather could turn out to be unfavourable and your people ignored, making the seedlings dry up,” observed the Senator

“At that point in time, the weather was promising. We were very excited to do this project but it is unfortunate that it failed,” said Mvurya in response to Prof Ongeri.

The Sh8735, 000 expenditure   for tree planting was part of the Sh 93,005,619 the county set aside for the purchase of certified seeds, breeding stock and live animals.