Senators have put former Governor Francis Kimemia on the spot over unexplained expenditure of about Sh58 million by three county funds operated by the devolved unit during his tenure.
A Senate watchdog committee is considering summoning Mr Kimemia to appear before it to shed light on the spending after his successor, Mr Kiarie Badilisha, told the MPs the flagged expenditures were not documented.
Appearing before the Senate County Public Investments and Special Funds committee, Governor Badilisha said he has been unable to obtain critical information regarding expenditures relating to the Bursary Fund, Emergency Fund and Car Loan and Mortgage Fund for three financial years between 2020 and 2022.
The county chief told the committee that is chaired by Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi that lack of documentation had made it impossible for his administration to answer queries raised by Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu on the use of the funds.
The committee established that the devolved unit spent Sh57.53 million from the funds in the financial year ended June 2020.
Of the total amount, Sh5.24 million was disbursed as bursaries to Sh329 students whose admission numbers were not indicated for verification.
“The [bursary] expenditures cannot be verified. We have written to all beneficiary schools since we have no evidence to show that the funds reached the schools,” said Governor Badilisha.
“This is why we are asking this committee, in public interest, to summon the people who were in office at the time to explain the flagged expenditure,” he added.
The governor urged the committee to invoke Article 125 of the Constitution to summon his predecessor to explain the issues raised by Ms Gathungu.
Article 125 authorises Parliament or its committees to summon any person to appear before them in order to give evidence or provide information.
“This is the only viable option because I am able to adequately respond to these issues,” said the governor.
Senator Osotsi gave the county government 30 days to seek responses from the beneficiary schools to confirm whether they received the funds to them, failing which the committee will summon Mr Kimemia to explain the expenditure.
“We are going to mark this query as unresolved until we get a response from the county government in 30 days. If that is not possible, then we will invite the former governor to appear before us to shed light on the issue,” said Mr Osotsi.
During the meeting, it also emerged that the county government was operating two bursary fund bank accounts, a move that was flagged by Ms Gathungu as unnecessary as it cost the county extra bank charges.
Further, it emerged the officials managing the bursary funds were not keeping records of the expenditures.
“My administration will move for the amendment of the County Bursary Act to address all the gaps,” Mr Badilisha explained in response to the queries.
The committee directed the county government to close one bank account and move all its operations to one overseen by the County Finance Executive.
Mr Badilisha was also ordered to ensure all the funds have risk management policies and internal control to guide their operations within 90 days.
“We want your administration to write to the schools which received Sh5.2 million in bursaries for 329 students whose admission numbers were not provided for audit verification and submit the responses to this committee and the auditor-general,” said Mr Osotsi.
The committee also reproached the governor after it emerged that the county director of education wrote to the schools on April 30, 2024.
