PS on the spot over alleged funds misuse

Principal Secretary in the State Department for Forestry, Gitonga Mugambi, is under scrutiny for alleged mismanagement of funds spanning two financial years, 2022/2023 and 2023/2024.

 Facing the National Assembly departmental committee on environment at English Point Marina in Mombasa, PS Mugambi’s 28-page report on fund utilization was unequivocally rejected, with the committee, spearheaded by Baringo South legislator Charles Kamuren who is the vice chair, citing incorrect, inconsistent, and misleading figures.

With a barrage of queries, the committee relentlessly poked holes on the report, which they said fell short of expectations and could not stand up to scrutiny.

The committee particularly questioned the allocation and utilization of funds for the National Tree Planting Campaign, demanding a clearer account of the progress made on the ground.

With the charged sitting at fever pitch and sensing the PS had hit a dead end, the Committee chair-Kamuren intervened by adjourning the sitting and went on to give the PS a two-and-half weeks ultimatum to return with a more elaborate response to the matters raised.

 Despite Mugambi’s efforts to explain, the committee was unrelenting hit fever pitch, prompting Kamuren to adjourn the sitting.

 The PS now has a two-and-a-half-week ultimatum to provide a more detailed response.

In his defense, he highlighted forest fires as a major threat to Kenya’s forests, noting that over 20 counties are classified as forest fire hotspots.

During the review period, severe forest fires ravaged 13 counties, leading to the implementation of preventive measures such as opening firebreaks and cleaning drainage systems in North Rift counties.

The unfolding saga underscores the growing concern over the management of public funds and the need for greater transparency and accountability in government departments.

“The total allocation for the Financial Year 2022/23 and 2023/24 is Sh200 million while resultant expenditure against the allocation is Sh 144.7 million being disbursements to 22 counties for field fire operation. In addition Sh 34.4 million has been committed to open up 15 Km roads and km of firebreaks to prevent fires from further spreading. Sh 20 million has been set aside for emergency fire response in case of occurrence,”  Mugambi stated in his presentation

Regarding National Tree Planting Campaign (NTPC) project, the PS explained to the committee that it was done through three main streams including allocations through the state department headquarters, Kenya Forest Services and Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI) whereby the total allocation for implementation of the campaign was Sh 412.5 million comprising of Sh47.5 million for financial year 2022/23 and Sh 365 million for 2023/24.

“The resultant total expenditure thereof was Sh275,112,647 comprising Sh 47,350,361 and Sh 227, 762,286 for the financial year 2022/23 and 2023/24 respectively… In 2022/2023 the KFS component of the NTPC project ws allocated a budget of Sh 200 million which was revised to Sh100 million during the supplementary budget review. However only Sh 67 million was received as disbursements,” the PS’s report tabled before the committee stated.

But the committee was clearly dissatisfied by the presentation with the members including Kajiado North legislator Onesmus Ngogoyo dismissing the report as “not up to scratch.”

According to the MP, the PS in his report did not capture KEFRI’s budget increase as per the supplementary one for the two financial years under review.

“Chair, I am concerned and I want to indulge the PS because I am not satisfied with the document. If this is the whole document, I am not satisfied with the manner in which this document is the chair. First of all, unlike many other departments this report is signed by the PS meaning that this is his document if what I have is what everyone has. Now this document does not mention that in the financial year 2022/2023 the budget of Kefri was at Sh15 million and we increased that budget to Sh115 million. Chair, what has been mentioned is that they were allocated about Sh 100 million which is not correct,” Ngogoyo queried during the plenary session.

While expressing concerns that none of the figures that were in the budget had been mentioned in the presentation, the MP said the PS’s document ought to have detailed out the amount received, the corresponding activities carried out by KEFRI and subsequent output.

Similar questions were raised by Kacheliba MP Titus Lotee who further questioned the National Tree Planting Campaign budget vis-à-vis the actual project on the ground.

“We are in the second year and the president said we are going to plant 15 billion trees by 2032, I will tell you today we all live in Kenya. We don’t come from a different planet. I don’t see a change in forest cover. 15 billion trees mean we will be planting 1.5 billion trees every year by now we should have planted 3 billion trees. From where I come from, I don’t see anything and this is a national project,” stated Lotee.