Multimedia University queried over Sh 157 million for building

Multimedia University has been accused of breaking procurement laws.

The university spent Sh157 million on consultancy services for construction of a new engineering complex building.

Auditor General Edward Ouko (pictured), in his latest report for the financial year ended June last year, said the university failed to comply with the requirements set in Section 74 of the Public Procurement and Disposal Act of 2015.

According to the report tabled in the National Assembly last week, the auditor said although the university relied on Section 4(2) of the Act in the procurement of the consultancy services from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, reference was not made to Section 3(1), where a government or any department of the Government is defined separately as a procuring entity. “It is, therefore, not clear how the management of Multimedia University identified the consultants before formal appointment was made by the vice chancellor, JKUAT,” reads the report.

As at June 2014, the Multimedia University had paid Sh54 million, leaving a balance of Sh102 million.

The audit report indicated that Multimedia University issued a letter of notification to the seven JKUAT consultants on August 2012, even before they had been formally nominated by the JKUAT vice chancellor.

“No evidence of any report on the consultancy services, contract and the payment voucher was made available for audit review,” Mr Ouko said. The university is also on the spot over unapproved excess expenditure of Sh11 million