The Senate County Public Investments and Special Funds Committee has issued a warning to certified public accountants from the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK) implicated in Kilifi County’s audit failures.
This is after the chairman of the Committee, Senator Godfrey Osotsi, noted that the accountants were at the centre of the mishaps found in the audit report on the county's Ward Scholarship Fund, Emergency Fund, Climate Change Fund, and the Microfinance (Wezesha) Fund.
The Committee has threatened disciplinary action through their professional body, ICPAK.
“It’s disturbing that professionals in good standing with ICPAK are behind such lapses. The committee is considering reporting them to their disciplinary board,” the senator said.
The chairman was speaking during the grilling of Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung’aro over Ksh102.9 million in unsupported purchases, including food bought under the county’s Emergency Fund.
During the grilling session, which took place at the Bunge Towers and was chaired by Senator Godfrey Osotsi, the governor and his finance team were questioned over recurring financial reporting errors and gaps in documentation.
The senator raised the alarm over the volume and repetition of basic accounting inaccuracies across the funds.
Key concerns highlighted in the report and questioned by the senator included the unsupported expenditures of Ksh102.9 million on food purchases under the Emergency Fund, unverified bursary disbursements, and unauthorised overdrafts in the Scholarship Fund.
Issues under an adverse opinion on the Wezesha Fund, due to unsupported balances and non-performing loans exceeding Ksh49 million, were also highlighted.
On his part, the governor distanced himself from the lapses, attributing the audit issues to certain officers who failed to cooperate with auditors, particularly in submitting documents during the audit.
The governor vowed to the committee that he would ensure that county officials comply with the audit process, and ensure that those who don't face the law.
“I have consistently urged my team to support the audit process. I will act decisively against those who fail to comply,” the governor said.
Mung'aro, however, maintained that no funds had been misappropriated.
