Team demands audit report of corporation

By peter opiyo

Parliamentary Committee on Lands and Natural Resources has given Water Minister Charity Ngilu 21 days to hand over an audit report on the operations of the National Water Corporation.

The minister, who appeared before the committee yesterday, was non-committal over allegations that eight companies associated with her were doing business with the Ministry of Water.

She said the truth shall come out once the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission completes its investigations.

Public Works Assistant minister Mwangi Kiunjuri had claimed that there are some companies associated with the minister doing business with the ministry.

"We have KACC on the ground and I’m sure the truth will come out on what we are doing," Ngilu told the committee. The committee under the chairmanship of Gachoka MP Mutava Musyimi, told the minister to hand over the report together with another one on the cause of fire at the National Water Corporation. The audit report that detailed the operations at the ministry was burnt in the fire before it could be handed over to the minister. But she told the committee they were able to trace the documents that formed part of the report.

Consultants contracted

She also denied any relation with four consultants contracted for the construction of dams.

"None of them come from where the minister comes from and they were recruited in line with Public Procurement Act," said Ngilu.

She defended her record in managing the water contracts, saying she stopped payment of Sh512 million to a contractor after he failed to present documents justifying the payment.

Ngilu said the company did not attach the relevant documents in Local Purchase Order, the contract documents and Delivery note, amongst others.

On price variations, she said businessmen use the market price index to set prices to ensure that the aggregate pricing does not reflect an overcharge. The minister gave an example of a dealer in Nairobi who was told a water meter costs Sh39,000 while that quoted by the ministry stands at Sh37,000.

Asked by Mumias MP Benjamin Washiali and Benedict Gunda (Bahari) on her relationship with Mr Kiunjuri, she said they have been working well and wondered what could have triggered the former Assistant Minister in the ministry to accuse her of corruption.

"We worked very well and these are issues he never raised with me or the PS," said the minister.