On Sunday evening, Anyang’ Nyong’o led-Kisumu county finances offices were razed down in an event that since been placed under police probe. The fire broke out on the second floor of Prosperity House, which houses the county government.
Preliminary Police reports indicate that most computers at Integrated Financial Management and Information System (IFMIS) office were destroyed before the fire was contained. Most amongst the razed down files were part of pending bills for contractors yet to be paid.
Many counties have had the same issue. Financial offices have been razed down to avoid audit queries in their inside dealings. The country has no auditor general and county finance offices are ablaze.
“Currently, we have about six counties that are actually our top priority. We are looking at all the officials in the counties. It can be from the governor downwards or a certain group within the procurement and the finance departments,” Mbarak said while speaking at the Youth Empowerment Programme Initiative’s 4th Annual Entrepreneurship Summit.
The coast region comprises Mombasa, Kwale, Lamu, Taita Taveta, Kilifi and Tana River counties. Kitui and Busia are among counties where fires have burnt finance offices in what has been claimed to be an attempt by officials to interfere with crucial documents.
“It is true there are a number of counties whose offices have been burnt. But if you look at the trend, it looks suspicious. The message to them is very clear. As much as they are trying to burn the offices, we will try to reconstruct the evidence and they cannot escape,” Mbarak said.
Kitui Majority leader and Athi Ward Rep PeterKilonzo claimed the Executive has panicked after the assembly raised critical apprehensions on the expenditure of Sh1.7 billion meant for development projects in the expansive county during the 2018/2019 financial year.
Turkana County which is the second-largest recipient of devolved funds since 2013 has contentious pending bills of up to Ksh.3.8B. The Auditor-General okaying clearance of bills worth Ksh 1.8B.
By February last year, Kiambu County presented Ksh.3.3B as pending bills but upon scrutiny, Ksh.1.4B worth of pending bills have been flagged as fake. The Auditor General’s report okayed the then Governor Ferdinand Waititu to clear bills worth Ksh.1.8B.
In Kisumu County, accrued pending bills have hit the Ksh.2.4B mark, but bills worth Ksh.683M have been declared ineligible by the Auditor General.
Mombasa’s Ali Hassan Joho presented to the auditors pending bills worth Ksh.5.3B but Ouko’s probe report has question marks on bills worth Ksh.1.8B.
In Nakuru, only Ksh.420M has been cleared for payment with a staggering Ksh.2B worth of pending bills undergoing further scrutiny.
In West Pokot Governor Prof. John Lonyangapuo, is staring at pending bills worth Ksh.1.7B with the auditors clearing only Ksh.483M.
Homa Bay County has only been cleared Ksh.40M worth of pending bills, leaving pending Ksh.1.6B that did not satisfy the verification process.
The theatrics in Kisumu county never stop. The other day, governor Nyong’o appointed a Chinese. You have not forgotten the choreographed removal of Onyango Oloo as the assembly speaker.
We all know the drill. Fires in County govt offices are selective, Why always Finance offices? Have we normalised the burning of county offices to hide evidence of corruption? These people said wembe ni ule ule, now moto ndio ile ile.
The Billions in the Kisumu questionable pending bills are the reason why finance offices were razed down. By who? That is the work of the police. Will they publish the report? Or KPLC takes another punch and electricity fault will be the cause.
