Auditor General Nancy Gathungu has released a report highlighting how various Members of Parliament used the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) for the financial year ending 2023.
Gathungu, in her report released on Monday, January 3, revealed glaring irregularities in the management of the funds, with the report implicating MPs across the 290 constituencies for failing to account for millions of shillings spent on various projects.
Among the discrepancies highlighted by the report included incomplete projects, double payments, a lack of proper documentation, and missing receipts.
For instance, the report placed Kapreset MP Oscar Sudi on the spot for failing to account for up to Ksh44 million spent on bursaries and an additional Ksh2 million spent on committees.
Sudi's constituency was also highlighted for failing to remit Ksh1.2 million in Pay As You Earn (PAYE) deductions made from the committee allowances to the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA).
Similar concerns were raised in MP Felix Odiwuor’s Langata Constituency, where Ksh52 million spent on bursaries could not be verified during the audit process.
According to the auditor general, the recipient schools could not provide letters of proof that indeed they received the bursaries disbursed by the constituency.
In Saku Constituency, which is led by Dido Ali, Ksh47 million was allocated for bursaries, but Ksh8 million was not acknowledged, with Ksh9 million lacking proper documentation and failing to show the list of admission numbers of the students who received the funds.
Similarly, in Jaldesa Guyo's Moyale Constituency, Ksh3 million was spent by county officials to visit various projects; however, there was no proof of the documentation. Similarly, the constituency allocated Ksh9 million for the purchase of a school bus, but no documentation of the purchase has since been availed to the auditor general.
Sirisya Member of Parliament John Waluke was also placed on the spot for allegedly allocating Ksh35 million for bursaries. However, the lawmaker could not provide proof that the money was channelled to students’ school accounts.
In MP Paul Kibet's Rongai Constituency, Ksh4 million sent to schools in the form of bursaries lacked the requisite students' registration numbers, thus raising questions on the criteria used in disbursing the funds.
MP Badi Twalib's Jomvu was also highlighted among notable constituencies with glaring discrepancies in the expenditure of the NG-CDF funds, with the audit report revealing that no proper documentation was shown on how the sub-county spent Ksh51 million on projects.
The auditor general's report has since raised concerns about the management of the NG-CDF funds, with most MPs unable to explain how they spent millions of taxpayer money.
