Senators Push for Authority to Summon Ex-Governors on Fund Mismanagement
Former Governors might soon be called to appear before Senate oversight committees to answer questions from the Auditor General regarding allegations of public fund misappropriation.
Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi, Chairman of the County Public Investments and Special Funds Committee, stated that his committee plans to utilize constitutional articles to mandate former Governors to testify.
“We aim to ensure that when audit reports reveal clear instances of public fund theft, the law allows us to summon the previous officeholders,” Senator Osotsi asserted.
This development arose during a Tuesday session where the committee was questioning Kisii Governor Simba Arati about the county’s finances for the 2019-2021 period, which was managed by his predecessor, James Ongwae.
During the Senate session, Governor Arati failed to justify a Ksh.6 million withdrawal from the bursary fund by the Ongwae administration for executive use, among other expenditures.
This led the Osotsi-led committee to intensify scrutiny on former Kisii County leader James Ongwae.
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“In Kisii County’s case, several issues from the previous administration remain unresolved, including the bursary fund and mortgage fund, which the current administration cannot explain,” Osotsi elaborated.
Last week, Narok Governor Patrick Ole Ntutu faced similar challenges when appearing before the Senate County Public Accounts Committee, chaired by Homa Bay lawmaker Moses Kajwang’. Governor Ntutu struggled to defend his predecessor Samuel Ole Tunai’s expenditures highlighted by Auditor General Nancy Gathungu, which included unsupported adjustments of Ksh.317 million and Ksh.37.8 million for the financial year ending June 30, 2021.
Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga encountered comparable difficulties in the Senate concerning unexplained expenditures by her predecessor Cyprian Awiti.
The committee was informed that former Governor Awiti had improperly borrowed money from the Car Loan and Mortgage Fund and distributed it to senior officers, violating the law.
This irregularity benefited 26 officers with Ksh.26 million, as flagged by the Auditor General.
Other new governors who have recently appeared before the two watchdog committees include Nadhif Jama (Garissa), Abdulswamad Nassir (Mombasa), and Jonathan Bii (Uasin Gishu), among others.
Senators Push for Authority to Summon Ex-Governors on Fund Mismanagement