Auditor General to probe spending by 10 counties

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission will investigate 10 counties for misuse of public funds,  Controller of Budget Agnes Odhiambo Agnes Odhiambo has hinted.

She also said the Auditor-General was scrutinising a number of counties and the outcome would determine the actions taken against those found to have overspent on allowances, among other expenses.

“A number of counties overspent on traveling, sitting allowances and even purchase of motor vehicles. We have asked the Auditor General to carry out a full audit for the affected counties,” Ms Odhiambo said in an interview with The Standard.

“We have also asked the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate a number of counties found to have flouted budgetary rules,” she said. In a report released yesterday by her office, a number of counties are on the spot for overspending on foreign trips, purchase of vehicles and sitting allowances.

Counties under scrutiny include Nairobi, Busia, Kakamega, Kericho, Kirinyaga and Laikipia. Others are Nairobi, Narok, Nyeri, Tana River and Vihiga.

Busia and Laikipia had budgeted Sh79.1 million and Sh117.2 million for travel, but their expenditures spilt to over to Sh104.4 million and Sh122.8 million respectively. On Tuesday, Chairman Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA) Micah Cheserem said Members of County Assemblies were spending billions of shillings on unnecessary trips.“They are spending on endless trips. While some of the trips could be useful, others are obviously not,”

Cheserem said, adding that “they should be made to account for that kind of expenditures”.

He also warned counties against spending more than had been budgeted for.

“Budget ceilings is a standard practice in the National Government. Every public office, from the Presidency, National Assembly, Senate, Judiciary and other public figures are given a budget ceiling and they have to justify any excesses over such ceilings,” he said.

Kakamega spent Sh82.6 million on MCAs’ sitting allowances instead of the budgeted Sh52.5 million.

Other counties on the spot for overspending allowances include Kirinyaga, Nairobi and Narok that had an absorption rate of 110.9 per cent, 187.2 per cent and 106.1 per cent respectively.

EACC will probe Kericho, Nyeri, Tana River and Vihiga counties over outlandish expenditure on purchase of vehicles. Kericho spent Sh72.1 million above the allocation set at Sh66 million while Nyeri surpassed its budgetary allocation by Sh69.4 million.

Tana River exceeded its allocation by Sh60 million while Vihiga overshootd its allocation by Sh2.4 million.

Interestingly, in the Controller of Budget’s report, Machakos County which registered the highest expenditure on motor vehicles at Sh486 million operated within its budgetary allocation.