The State Department of Petroleum spent millions of shillings to purchase faulty Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders that were to be distributed to low-income households.

Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu says in her report that over Sh200 million was spent on the procurement of the cylinders under the Mwananchi Gas Project.

She adds that Sh125.1 million was spent to purchase the defective gadgets while another Sh 77.7 million was used to purchase and deliver 20,000 units of two-burner low-pressure tabletop cookers for the LPG project.

The irregular expenditure on gas cylinders constitutes a loss of public funds. The details are contained in the audited accounts of the State Department for the year 2020/21. The money was paid to three suppliers, even after experts raised concerns over the quality of the cylinders.

“Majority of the supplied cylinders were found to have technical defects and were recalled, hence prompting the ministry to engage services of an independent inspector,” reads the report.

The faulty cylinders were discovered following an inspection by a firm contracted at a sum of Sh10.12 million by the State department. The inspection was prompted by concerns over the quality of the cylinders.

The ministry initiated the controversial project in 2016.  The National Oil Corporation of Kenya was engaged to distribute the gas cylinders. Meanwhile, payment was made to the supplier before the delivery of the cylinders.