Vihiga County government is in the spotlight after the auditor general raised questions on how the they bought Ksh 11 million worth of expired food for school children. Mr Edward Ouko, the auditor general, said that the country bypassed the procedures of procuring such food and led to the loss of the money.
“The whole consignment was condemned by the department of public health as unfit for human consumption and recommended for destruction. The audit also revealed that the expenditure had not been budgeted for,” Mr Ouko said in his report of the county spending.
The county officials failed to have the procurement certified by Ministry of Education and Health. Vihiga has also been accused of increasing the cost of a tender for the repair of an old town hall by Ksh7 million.
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The Daily Nation reports that the most expensive tender was Ksh29.9 million and the audit report said the county paid Sh36.9 million, an amount that went unexplained.
“Given that the amount for renovations involved exceeded the maximum allowed for the request for quotations method, it called for an open tender method. It is not clear why it was not used.”
County governments in Kenya have been charged with misappropriating public funds since they were created under the new Constitution. (Tuko.co.ke)
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