Former Kiambu Governor James Nyoro is on the radar of the Auditor General for irregularly approving payments to members of the County Assembly and members of staff. The Auditor General’s report indicates that Ksh.2, 941,000 was paid to MCAs and staff as allowances to attend the Jiinue Fund regulation workshop held at a local hotel.
The allowances paid to MCAs should have been charged to the County Assembly vote. An extra Ksh.44, 000 was paid as transport allowance for the 22 MCAs to attend the workshop, which is approximately 7 kilometres from the County Assembly offices.
The expenditure also included payment to officers designated as the lead clerk and principal clerk, whose roles in the workshop were not clear. In addition, the payment voucher was not examined and authorized.
A further review of payroll records revealed that a total of 1,735 employees were included in the IPPD system during the financial year 2021–2022. The entries include members of staff who had not been allocated personal numbers from earlier years and staff on contract. Out of the total new entries, 385 employees on contract and whose term contracts ended during the year under review had their contracts renewed, resulting in double capture and unexplained new entries in the payroll of 217 employees.
Further review of the payroll data revealed that 43 members of staff shared bank accounts, 35 of the total new staff members recruited on permanent and pensionable terms were aged over 50 years, and 2 members of staff on consolidated salary were irregularly paid other allowances.
During the year, 80 new employees were recruited to fill various vacant positions. However, a review of the personnel files revealed that 27 newly recruited members of staff did not apply for the positions appointed as indicated in their files. Further application letters filed in the personal files for 11 newly recruited members of staff were undated, and appointment letters for 31 members of staff sampled for audit were issued on dates ahead of the application for the positions.
But even as the former governor is being accused of approving illegal payments that might have led to the loss of public funds, Governor Kimani Wamatangi is also said to be under siege. Sources say since taking over, he has been facing impeachment threats, with insiders privy to the developments claiming that a section of Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) allied to the former governors and former MPs have vowed to kick him out.
The MCAs claim that Governor Wamatangi has sidelined them from the plans to distribute bursaries in their respective wards. He has been accused of appointing committees to handle and distribute the bursaries at the ward level without consulting them. The MCAs claim he is using the bursary to advance his political interests.
