Bomet Governor Hillary Barchok appeared before the Senate County Public Accounts and Investments Committee chaired by Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang on Tuesday, December 3 over the 2017-18 audit queries raised by former Auditor General Edward Ouko.
In the televised session, Barchok was put on the spot over several accounts of irregular procurement of services by the governors' office.
According to the audit report presented before the Senate, the Bomet governor's office spent Ksh9.9 million on furniture.
The report indicated that Governor Barchok spent Ksh 398, 000 on an executive chair for his personal assistant, Ksh800,000 for the front office, and a serving table at Ksh 500,000.
"The Bomet governor has an executive six sitter sofa set manufactured in kindred mahogany timber fully upholstered and spring back and sit-in leather worth 755k," Kajwang' exclaimed.
"The procurement process is still questionable chair," Barchok conceded.
The governor's office and lounge cost taxpayers a whooping Ksh 50 million, while landscaping the governor's lawn cost Ksh 24 million, equaling 12-month parking fees in the county.
"If you are spending sharable revenue allocated to 1,430 people to buy furniture, there is no way you will be able to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor in Bomet," Narok Senator Ledama Ole Kina stated.
"And when they seat behind those desks, a poor mother comes asking for a bursary, do you know how much they give? 2,000 shillings," Kiambu Senator Kimani Wamatangi remarked.
The senators questioned the governor on his mandate to Kenyans, reiterating that elected leaders are obliged to serve the people and not themselves.
"Currently as we are speaking there is a special audit going on in Bomet," Barchok claimed.
The report revealed that the county was in possession of conference chairs worth Ksh1.1 million, a U-shaped conference table acquired at a staggering Ksh 800,000, an executive flower pot at Ksh 57, 000 and shipping materials that cost taxpayers Ksh23million.
The senators raised an alarm over such expenditures and urged auditors to be more vigilant.
