Bomet Governor Isaac Ruto lives to face Senate committee

Bomet Governor Isaac Ruto appears before the Senate committee. Hours after surviving a road crash that left one person dead, Ruto faced the Senate to respond to audit queries. (PHOTO: MOSES OMUSULA/ STANDARD)

Hours after surviving a road crash that left one person dead, Bomet Governor Isaac Ruto faced the Senate to respond to audit queries.

On his way to Nairobi to appear before a Senate committee on Tuesday evening, the governor’s car hit and killed a cattle trader who had just alighted from a matatu.

Mr Ruto emerged unhurt, but shaken, and was driven to Nairobi for a medical check-up.

Hours later, he was sitting before the Public Accounts and Investment Committee to explain how his county spent over Sh100 million in his first year in office.

Ruto was responding to audit queries raised against an increase of the county’s monthly staff salaries by Sh94 million.

The senators tasked the governor to explain why a Sh3.2 million tender was awarded to a contractor for the rehabilitation and supply of a cooling system at the Longisa Hospital mortuary.

Following the session, the former Council of Governors chairman visited the family of the dead man - 45-year-old Harrison ole Tapasiany - who was crossing the road near Mutaro centre in Mai Mahiu town when the governor’s car hit him. He died on the spot.

Salary figures

Earlier, the committee members led by chairman Anyang’ Nyong’o (Kisumu) demanded to know why Bomet County staff salaries shot up after the governor took office.

In his report, Auditor General Edward Ouko noted that there was an unexplained proportional increase in monthly salaries and personal emoluments from Sh23.2 million in July 2013 to Sh118 million in June 2014.

But Ruto denied any wrongdoing, pointing out that during the period under review, his administration received more devolved functions from the national government, which came with an added workforce.

“The increase in salaries was further occasioned by more recruitment of staff by the County Public Service Board on a needs basis,” explained the governor.

“In December 2013, the payroll for the national government staff working in the counties was handed over to the devolved units. In January 2014, you will see a phenomenal growth in pay, which is a result of the transfer of the payroll,” he said.

Water meters

Ruto told the senators that there was no detailed transfer of the payroll as the national government only ordered them to start paying staff.

“We did not have specific files for every staff member who was devolved to the counties. Their files remained in the custody of the parent ministries. They were given to us last year for scrutiny,” he said.

The senators also questioned why the county executive spent Sh11,984,080 on 2,300 water meters without a budget and why these were not factored in the annual work plan for 2013-2014.

“The purchase of the meters conformed to the plan of the Ministry of Water. The purchase was meant to address water challenges, which is still a problem in the county,” Ruto explained.

He was further grilled over a Sh3,194,640 tender awarded to a contractor for the rehabilitation and supply of a cooling system at Longisa Hospital.

In the audit report, the auditor noted that the original quotations used and the tender evaluation report were not forwarded for scrutiny.

Ruto maintained that proper procurement procedures were followed in purchasing the coolers, adding that the biomedical engineer at the hospital had given it a clean bill of health.

“The mortuary is now functional. Before we came in, there was no business around the facility,” he said.