Committee summons Governor Obado over audit issues

Migori Governor Okoth Obado. [Denish Ochieng,Standard]

Migori Governor Okoth Obado has been summoned to appear before the Senate County Public Accounts and Investment Committee to respond to audit queries. 

But the governor snubbed the committee’s hearings in Kisii yesterday, infuriating the committee. The members were set to grill Obado and his Nyamira counterpart Amos Nyaribo.

Obado did not, however, attend the hearings, which started on Tuesday and is to end today with the grilling of Nyaribo at the Kisii County Assembly hall.

In the summons, Obado is expected to appear before the committee on June 8 in Nairobi.

Committee Chairman Ochilo Ayacko, who is also the Migori Senator, said Obado had not given reasons as to why he did not attend the hearings.

“He must appear before the committee. We will invoke all the powers to ensure Migori residents have a right of hearing. We could have wasted taxpayers’ money should he decide not to honour the summons,” Ayacko said.

Irregular drilling

According to the Auditor General’s report of 2018-19, Migori County Government had irregular drilling of boreholes amounting to Sh1.7 billion. This includes Sh423 million which was paid for construction and civil works.

The report claims Sh80 million was paid for drilling, equipping and rehabilitation of boreholes in Migori, adding that the county government breached the law as it did not seek proper documents from the Water Resource Management Authority.

Obado is to also respond to queries on the manual payroll in the county that might have cost taxpayers close to Sh2.5 billion in respect to compensation of employees. The amount includes other emoluments of Sh130 million, which were paid outside the payroll systems through payment vouchers.

“Consequently, the legality, accuracy and completeness of the expenditure of Sh130 million cannot be confirmed,” the report says.

The county government is also said to have been in breach of the law for irregular engagement of temporary employees.

The compensation of employee’s expenditure of Sh2.5 billion includes an amount of Sh90 million which was paid as wages to temporary employees.