The office of the Auditor-General has raised concerns about Migori and Homa Bay counties’ questionable use of millions of shillings.
The two counties, according to Auditor General Nancy Gathungu, lacked any paperwork to back up the payments paid for services. The local tax collection has decreased, and there have been unexplained expenditures, according to Ms Gathungu’s audit report for 2020–21.
![Migori Governor, Hon. Obad0](https://www.kenyastatenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/images-66-300x200.jpeg)
Migori
In Migori, despite a statement on assets and liabilities suggesting that the balance is Sh1.7 billion, the audit revealed an Sh1.3 billion balance for eight accounts run by Governor Okoth Obado.
“Inspection and acceptance reports, as well as counter receipt vouchers from beneficiary facilities, were not provided to confirm receipt of goods.” As a result, the legitimacy of the Sh61 million expenditure could not be confirmed,” Ms Gathungu stated.
The audit also found flaws in the under-collection of locally generated revenue from several sectors, concluding that ineffective collection procedures and systems may have contributed to the under-collection.
The changes occur at a time when revenue officials have come under fire for willfully pocketing some of the cash, despite the county automating tax collection.
Ms Gathungu also drew attention to the Sh15 million that was given to a regional insurance provider for the coverage of automobiles. According to the study, it was impossible to authenticate the payments’ legitimacy.
Consequently, the county administration was unable to support the payments with any valuation report. Additionally, the devolved unit paid 731 employees sporadically by using the manual system, doing so for Sh169 million.
Homa-bay
The Homa Bay administration of Governor Cyprian Awiti is attempting to provide explanations for a variety of discrepancies in the millions of shillings spent. Among the payments made outside the Integrated Financial Management Information System were salary payments.
One of the main issues that generated controversy was the decision to manually pay some employees Sh238.5 million. Even though counties require that all employees be paid through the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Database, this is still the case. The auditor claimed that the Governor Awiti administration’s method was prone to errors.
According to Ms Gathungu, “the accuracy, validity, and completeness of the spending of more than Sh238 million in respect of remuneration of employees processed manually could not be guaranteed.”
Considering that the county failed to deliver the necessary bidding paperwork, the decision to provide about Sh81 million for road development has also generated some controversy. Officers from the devolved unit failed to present auditors with the pertinent records to support the project payments during the audit.