Senators grill Governor Patrick Khaemba over audit queries

A Senate committee has grilled Governor Patrick Khaemba over a Sh242 million query raised by the Auditor General’s office.

The Public Accounts and Investment Committee led by Kisumu Senator Anyang’ Nyong’o put Mr Khaemba to task over alleged breach of public procurement and financial laws in awarding a Sh73 million contract.

The governor ran into trouble during the session last week after the senators expressed dissatisfaction with the answers he gave over the Sh4.1 million incurred in fuelling private cars and Sh4.9 million paid for fuel allegedly not supplied to the county government.

He was further pressed to account for an outstanding imprest of Sh63 million, bank overdraft interest totalling Sh982,000, Sh23 million irregular expenditure and cash withdrawals amounting to Sh72 million.

But over the weekend, Khaemba lashed out at some unnamed politicians in the area, accusing them of using the audit queries to undermine him.

The governor denied claims by politicians that he had misappropriated funds and challenged anybody with evidence to present it to the police to facilitate his arrest and prosecution.

PERUSE RECORDS

“Some people have taken advantage of the audit queries to condemn and spread propaganda against me. I’m clean and if there is anybody with evidence that I have stolen I am ready to face the law,” he said at Namanajala Catholic Church.

Further, he said he had asked auditors to probe the county government afresh. “I have invited the Auditor General to come and peruse all financial records at the county because I want to clear my name,” said the Governor.