By The Weekly Vision
Barely six months in office following her appointment as chairperson of the Tourism Regulatory Authority Board, Hon Halima Yussuf Mucheke is said to have unearthed major scandals involving members of the previous board and investigations are set to commence. It has been discovered that the previous board mismanaged public funds through unapproved allowances.
Investigations reveal that the board spent Ksh. 14,314,380 which was way above the 5% of operations and maintenance budgeted for. Further, it has been discovered that the board exceeded the expenditure allowable limit by Ksh. 3,732,790 without authority, contrary to circular Ref. OP/CAB9/1A dated 11th March 2020. In the circumstances, the management was in breach of the law and Hon. Mucheke has been asked to ensure they are made to account for and refund the over expenditure totalling to Ksh. 3,732,790. The previous board comprised 10 members led by a non-executive and independent Chairperson, 4 independent non-executive directors, representatives of the Principal Secretaries responsible for The National Treasury, State Department of Planning and Statistics, State Department for Tourism & Wildlife, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, and the Director General of the Authority. Hon. Mucheke is also said to have raised a red flag over the manner tenders were awarded by the previous board. One such controversial tender is the delayed Implementation of the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System.
Investigations reveal that the contract was signed on 20 June 2019 at a contract sum of Ksh. 13.5m and payment of Ksh. 4,050,000 made after the signing of the addendum and supply of license. The contract duration was one year ending on 30th September 2020 which was later extended by six months after expiry to 31st March 2021.
Further, it has been discovered that the contract between the supplier and Tourism Regulatory Authority expired on 31st March 2021 and no evidence of extension could be traced. In the above circumstances, it was not possible to confirm whether value for money was realized by the Authority and when the project will fully be implemented yet money had been paid to the contractor.
