PAC directs governor Ottichilo to recover Ksh1.9M in unpaid staff salary loans
By Ndiritu Wanjiru, January 27, 2026The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has directed Vihiga Governor Wilberforce Ottichilo to surcharge accounting officers over KSh1.9 million that was advanced to county staff as salary loans between 2015 and 2017 but was never recovered.
This directive has followed a revelation in the Auditor-General’s report for the 2024/25 financial year, which shows that only Ksh 85,000 out of the Ksh1.9 million owed had been repaid.
According to the report tabled before the committee at the parliament on Monday, January 26, 2026, the beneficiaries included four former county executive staff, one current staff member, one deceased former staff member, three current Members of the County Assembly (MCAs), and one former MCA.
The Committee has expressed outrage over the poor recovery record and demanded immediate action from the County boss.
The county public accounts committee, led by Senator Okong’o Omong’eni, has questioned whether the officers who approved the payments were still serving in the county government and what action had been taken against them.
He also faulted the County Attorney for failing to initiate recovery efforts for nearly a decade, raising concerns that the matter may now be time-barred under the Limitation of Actions Act.
“Why was there such a long delay in recovering the money?” asked Senator Omong’eni.
Reasons for recovery failure
In his response, Governor Ottichilo told the Committee that recovery efforts had been hampered by the loss of primary records after a building housing financial documents was gutted by a mysterious fire. He further claimed that some beneficiaries had denied receiving the loans and demanded proof from the county.
“The County Attorney wrote to the individuals, and they responded by demanding evidence from the county that they had borrowed the money,” said Otichillo.
Senator Johnes Mwaruma argued that the destruction of records could not excuse non-recovery, noting that the funds were disbursed directly into beneficiaries’ bank accounts.
However, the Committee was informed that legal recovery through the courts was no longer possible due to statutory time limitations. Citing the Public Finance Management Act, the Committee noted that responsibility rests with accounting officers who authorised the expenditure.
The Senators said that while court action was no longer viable, public finance laws provide for surcharging officers who advance public funds and fail to recover them.
Governor Otichillo ordered to take action
The Committee further directed the Governor to take administrative action against officers who unlawfully authorised the release of Sh5 million to finance a housewarming party at the residence of the County Assembly Speaker.
The committee described the expenditure as immoral and unjustified, noting that Vihiga County’s pending bills had ballooned to Sh1.7 billion as of June 30, 2025, and the committee ordered the Governor to take disciplinary action and, if necessary, recover the funds.
Governor Ottichilo told the Committee he had already noted the anomaly and intended to take action after consulting the Committee.
While the county boss maintained that he could not account for how the County Assembly spent the money, the Governor claimed that part of the funds had been used to facilitate activities during the Speaker’s house-opening ceremony.
However, the Committee dismissed the explanation, citing the expenditure descriptions contained in the county’s financial statements.