Senate has ordered for a forensic audit of bank statements evidencing the expenditure of Sh168.6 million as start-up capital for Kitui County Textile Centre (Kicotec) during the 2019/2020 financial year.

The Senate Public Investment Committee (PIC) chaired by Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi, directed the Office of the Auditor General, the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) and the Clerk of the Committee to scrutinise the bank statements provided and give a brief to the committee

 “This matter is not about Governor Julius Malombe or former Governor Charity Ngilu, it is about the future of the youths of Kitui where this project was started and has served as a conduit for pilferage of public fund, the former governor should not distort facts,” Kitui senator Enock Wambua said.

The decision of the committee came after Kitui governor Julius Malombe who had appeared alongside former governor Charity Ngilu to shed light on the matter, said that his administration was unable to get documents of expenditures from the county’s Ministry of Trade. He said that his team had been unable to trace the expenditures through the Integrated Financial Management Information System (Ifmis).

However, Ngilu, who initially clashed with Wambua over the matter, defended the project accusing those opposed to it of playing politics over a project that has offered training and job opportunities for the county youths.

She told senators that Kicotec is one of the first county parastatals established in Kitui under her leadership and that several government agencies and county governments have engaged it to make uniforms for their staff.

Kicotec was established by Ngilu in 2018 and garnered national attention during the Covid-19 pandemic when it shifted to manufacturing face masks.