Lenku blames ex-officers for missing audit documents
By Hillary Mageka, September 23, 2021
Kajiado Governor Joseph ole Lenku yesterday blamed his former finance officials for failing to furnish auditors with documents which had been requested by auditors.
Appearing before the Senate County Public Accounts and Investment Committee, Lenku said he was forced to take administrative action against former Finance Executive Alais Kisota and Chief Finance Officer Sankaire Tima for errors of omission and poor engagement with the county’s stakeholders.
The governor was responding to Migori Senator Ochillo Ayacko, who chairs the committee, who had questioned him on why the documents had not been made available.
“Was there a problem or was it just negligence,?” posed Ayacko.
Citing section 62 of the Public Audit Act, Ayacko said the governor and the county officials risked a fine not exceeding Sh5 million or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years, or to both.
“Governor are your officials aware of the ramifications of section 62 of the Public Audit Act,” the senator asked.
In her report for the financial year ended 2018/19, Auditor General Nancy Gathungu raises issues about documents that, she says, were available but were not handed over to the auditors when they made physical visits to the County headquarters.
“We cannot understand why these documents were not availed at the right time, yet they seem to have been in order.
You were let down by your officers. In fact, an elephant is brought down by very small things,” Senator Ayacko said.
Isiolo Senator Fatuma Dulo said the Department of Finance had ignored the importance of the audit process or was negligent in its duties.
“Mr Governor, your house seems not to have been in order. The issues raised here could have been dealt with even before they got to the report,” said Dullo.
In the report, the Auditor General queried why pending bills had shot up from Sh766 million in 2018 to Sh1.3 billion in 2019.
The Auditors said the pending bills statement which affected all counties were interfering with expenditure of subsequent years.