Kenyans to Pay Sh2 Billion For Helicopter That Crashed

A brand new police helicopter that crashed in Mathare area in 2016 may cost taxpayers Sh2.2 Billion.

This is according to a report tabled in the National assembly by Auditor-General Edward Ouko.

Ouko stated that the Augusta AW-139 chopper was not insured and crashed just 5 months after it was bought.

[caption caption="Auditor-General Edward Ouko"][/caption]

He put the Ministry of Interior on the spot for the blunder, raising a red flag over poor investigations into the accident and lack of proper reports.

In his report, Ouko adds that it is almost impossible for him to establish if the accident was caused by natural cause or a pilot's error.

The public finance management law requires the auditor to give a conclusive cause of loss of public funds.

On Monday, the Immigration Department, which falls under the Ministry of Interior headed by acting CS Fred Matiang'i, was on the spot following an audit report tabled in the National Assembly last week.

According to the report, Sh1.47 Billion might have been lost in the past two financial years as the department failed to account for passports and visa stickers issued to consulates and Kenya’s embassies abroad.

The Auditor General revealed that visa stickers worth Sh2.7 billion, 39,900 blank passports worth Sh202.5 Million and 13,872 printed passports were issued in the 2013/14 and 2014/15 financial years but the total revenue collected of Sh2.9 Billion differed with the Sh1.5 Billion in the financial statements provided.

It was also revealed that Sh175 Million might have been lost in the same ministry in the procurement of shoes for police.

According to a report by Ouko, there were many irregularities in the shoe deal right from the word go.

Records at the ministry show that there was an approval to buy 26,500 pairs of shoes and but the supplier was paid Sh267 Million for 78,000 pairs.

This means 51,000 extra pairs were bought but police on the ground revealed that they had to go into their pockets to buy shoes while some were still using their old pairs.

[caption caption="File Photo of Police Shoes"][/caption]

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