The National Assembly has summoned three Principal Secretaries including, Interior PS Karanja Kibicho, Devolution PS Julius Korir, and Arid and Semi-Arid Lands PS Micah Puwon to explain how they spent Ksh 3.3B meant for emergency relief food.
The three principal secretaries have exactly one week to produce a detailed report on how the money was spent by Monday, October 4.
The chair of the Public Accounts Committee, Opiyo Wandayi gave this directive, claiming that there is no evidence that these funds were allocated to various groups.
This, he directed following a meeting with Puwon and Devolution Secretary in charge of programmes Isaac Githui, who could not explain the anomaly.
“I am giving you up to Monday next week to sit down with Kibicho and your counterpart Korir from Devolution and come up with a report of how the money was spent,” Wandayi noted.
While giving his remarks, Wandayi said that matters to do with relief food and refugee assistance are very sensitive, and he is not going to take this specific one lightly on the PSs, should they fail to give an account.
Notably, Wandayi directed that the three PSs meet and provide a detailed breakdown of how the money was spent before the committee, and include returns if there were any.
“Please, in that report give us a breakdown of everything including any returns,” Wandayi told Powon
This has come up after the Auditor General, Nancy Gathungu raised questions over the expenditure of the money, which was allocated to relief food and refugee assistance.
The money was allocated in the 2018-2019 financial year, but close investigations by the AG brought up many questions, prompting her to summon the PSs.
At first, Gathungu summoned Puwon who in his defence said that issues on relief food do not fall within their ministry. “This function does not fall under our jurisdiction. It falls under the Ministry of Devolution and I would request you to direct it there,” he said.
Githui in his defence said that the Ministry of Interior should be answerable since they directly deal with food distribution. He said that the interior commissioners do not consider them at all when dealing with distribution.
“Our efforts to have us recruit our own staff have not been successful. The Deputy County Commissioners and County Commissioners, who fall under the Interior Ministry, cannot take instructions from us,” Githui remarked in a recent interview, throwing the ball in Kibicho court.
The AG says that in all the counties listed as those in need, there is no evidence whatsoever, or accountability, to show that the money was allocated to them.
The three PSs are expected to appear before the National Assembly on Monday, October 4 to shed light on the matter.
