Water Agency CEO Blames Fire Over Missing Ksh1.1 Billion
The National Assembly is investigating the National Water Harvesting and Storage Authority after the Auditor General identified Ksh1.1 billion in missing funds at the agency.
In his testimony before the National Assembly Public Investments Committee on Commercial Affairs and Energy, Managing Director John Muhia informed legislators that no bank statements before 2009 could be located due to a fire that destroyed the authority’s accounting records.
The Managing Director explained that the agency had reached a dead end after its financier indicated in a letter dated 27 June 2023 that it was unable to provide the requested information for the previous 14 years.
For Fiscal Years 2018-2019 through 2020-2020, the Office of the Auditor General posed accounting questions to the agency.
During the proceedings, committee members wished to comprehend why the bank reconciliation statement revealed a Ksh1.9 million error in the cashbook that should have been corrected before the reconciliation.
David Pkosing, the chairman of the committee, inquired as to whether the authority had a digital backup of the pertinent data.
“I presume that by this time most government systems had been automated. So why can’t that information be retrieved?” the MP posed.
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In addition, the Committee is investigating the Auditor General’s assertions that the Authority had undisclosed, long-overdue loans totaling Ksh2.5 billion.
The Committee also observed that the Authority’s financial records did not reflect the Ksh16.8 million value of various assets designated for transfer to various Water Works Development Agencies.
Aside from that, the committee was also slated to investigate audit inquiries of the Geothermal Development Company (GDC) from Financial Years 2017/2018 to 2020/21.
The meeting was postponed after the Managing Director of the company informed the Committee that he had been dispatched to an emergency meeting at the Attorney General’s office.
Pkosing issued the adjournment order, citing the need for the MD, the company’s chief financial officer, to respond to the summons from Attorney General Justin Muturi’s office.
“That is the law, and we cannot listen to any of you on these matters of audit, other than the MD who is the accounting officer,” said Pkosing.
Water Agency CEO Blames Fire Over Missing Ksh1.1 Billion
