Kiambu Governor Kabogo and Senator Wamatangi clash during team probe

Political differences between Governor William Kabogo and Senator Kimani Wamatangi played out before a watchdog committee Thursday.

Mr Kabogo was appearing before the Senate Public Accounts and Investment Committee to respond to audit queries raised against his administration by Auditor General Edward Ouko when he clashed with Mr Wamatangi over accountability issues raised about expenditure.

Wamatangi sought to know why the county government had not submitted to the auditors documents to prove expenditure of various votes relating to the 2013-2014 financial year until he was summoned by the Senate team. He said the Public Audit Act made it an offence for anyone to fail to produce documents to the auditors during the audit process.

But before he could finish, Kabogo intervened and accused the senator of introducing their personal differences before the committee.

“Mr Chairman, I do not want us to go the way Nairobi went. The senator wants us to start our exchanges here when it is obvious that he is playing to the cameras for political reasons. These are the issues I did not want us to get into,” said a visibly angry Kabogo while seeking the protection of committee chairman Anyang’ Nyong’o (Kisumu).

Committee sessions

Kabogo was referring to an incident in which Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero clashed with Senator Mike Sonko, leading to the suspension of the committee’s sessions.

But a firm Wamatangi, backed by Prof Nyong’o, maintained that he had the constitutional responsibility of ensuring that the county government accounted for all the funds it received.

“What I must firmly do is ensure that on behalf of the residents of Kiambu, I ask all questions relating to accounting documents. The Public Audit Act requires that documents be submitted when requested by auditors,” he said.

“I will remain firm and I have no apologies to make,” he added.

The two would clash again after Wamatangi said he wished Kabogo would exercise patience and listen to the questions being asked. The governor took offence at these sentiments.

West Pokot Senator John Lonyangapuo told Kabogo that if he had produced the documents required in good time, the audit queries would never have been raised.

The bad blood between Wamatangi and Kabogo showed up again at the end of the session when the governor was asked to give his closing remarks. He responded by saying he saw nothing to respond to on comments made by “the other one”, even as he appreciated comments made by Mr Lonyangapuo and Busia Senator Amos Wako.

Perform better

Wamatangi said he expected the county administration to perform better in accounting for the 2014-2015 expenditure.

Kabogo defended his administration against accusations of spending in excess of 60 per cent of county revenue on meeting the county wage bill. He said the county government had inherited a huge workforce from the defunct local authorities and some from national government.

The Auditor General had said the payment of salaries and even bigger spending on other recurrent expenditure had left the county executive with little to channel towards development. But Kabogo said he had an obligation to pay all the workers.

“We have been hoping that the national government will set up funds to offer as a golden handshake to some of the workers we inherited and who are not very productive but unfortunately, that has not happened,” he said.

Senators agreed with him that there was need to rationalise staff in the county governments, saying much of the money sent to the counties was ending up in recurrent expenditure.

“If the current situation is not urgently addressed, Kenyans will not benefit from devolution as was envisaged,” said Vihiga Senator George Khaniri.

In August 2014, just a day after Kiambu County was barred from accessing devolved funds, the Senate Committee on County Public Accounts and Investments issued fresh orders for Kabogo to book a date with the senators and explain why he had skipped 10 meetings. Days earlier, the committee had turned away Kabogo’s deputy Gerald Gakuha and two members of the executive committee.