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Citizen Weekly

Sunday 17 May 2015

Kisumu reps fail to account for Sh55m

Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission detectives are said to be pursuing 35 Kisumu MCAs who have not surrendered Sh55,600,000 disbursed to them as monthly ward office disbursement.
In a letter signed by Owen Ojuok who is the acting county clerk and addressed to all elected MCAs, he wrote: “The matter is currently under serious investigations by EACC, Auditor General and the Budget Controller. Members are therefore advised to comply with the following conditions”.
Kisumu Residents Association chairman Audi Ogada is now demanding that the MCAs should account for the monies failure to which they should be held accountable for acting contrary to PFM Act 2012 and PFM regulations 2015 Section 133 (1).
According to the letter, all elected MCAs each have received a total of Sh2,650,000 between November 2013 and April 2015 which totals to Sh92,750,000 but have only accounted for Sh37,150,00 meaning they have not accounted for Sh55,600,000.
Some of the MCAs who have not accounted for even a shilling are Akoth Okombo (Manyatta B), Edwin Nayo (Market/Milimani), Apondi Omino (Central Kisumu), Ochele Odhiambo (East Kano/Wawidhi), Koko Maina (North Nyakach), Ochieng Gabriel (Kondele), Aggrey Odhiambo (East Seme), Omolo Ochieng (West Nyakach), Omondi Elijah (Central Nyakach), Onyango Juma (Chemelil) and Joseph Otieno (South West Kisumu).
However, some MCAs have at least accounted for part of the disbursement. Among those who have not accounted for disbursement in full are Aim Fanuel of Awasi/Onjiko Ward who has only accounted for Sh2,350,000 and is yet to surrender Sh300,000, Malin Akinyi of Kobura Ward who has only accounted for Sh2,050,000 and is yet to surrender Sh600,000.
In a bid to detect financial impropriety, the clerk has ordered the MCAs to avail to his office bank statements from the  first disbursement to date, signatories to the ward accounts details and monthly bank reconciliation reports.
Also under investigations is a claim that some MCAs are underpaying their staff while others are overpaying them, more so, those related to the MCA. It is against such fears that the clerk wants all MCAs to avail a list of all staff working in their respectively ward offices and copies of their contracts showing terms of engagement.
It has been whispered that most of the staff are working under verbal contract between the MCA and the staff while they should be working on a three-month renewable contract between them and the Kisumu county assembly.
Sources say majority of the MCAs used the first disbursement to purchase office furniture and office equipments and to date, they have not availed a list of their inventory to the clerk. It is said some MCAs bought office furniture and equipments at exorbitant and inflated prices as they pocketed huge kickbacks. In most cases, there were no tendering as suppliers were handpicked amongst their friends, relatives and supporters contrary to the standing regulations on procurement that requires due diligence.

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