NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 16 – Taxpayers monies worth over Sh2 billion might be lost over poor financial accounts reconciliation during the handover of the Electoral Commission of Kenya to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
Since 2009 when the handover was done to the Interim Independent Electoral Commission and subsequently IEBC, serious gaps have been cited which portends a huge risk for the loss of the public funds.
An Auditor General Report for the financial year 2020-2021 has unearthed that property and equipment balance worth Sh1.7 billion cannot be accounted for due to lack of ownership documents with some of the properties not valued in the financial statements.
The Public Account Committee while grilling IEBC CEO Marjan Hussein questioned why the commission is yet to obtain documentation for 85 parcels of land allocated by the national and county government majority of which were inherited from the ECK.
In response, Hussein told the committee led by Nominated MP John Mbadi during the handover from ECK to the electoral agency the documentation was not handed over and the process of retrieving the ownership from government agencies has been tedious.
So far the commission has been able to obtain 20 allotment letters and in the quest of obtaining other documentations they have faced obstacles as they share the titles with some government agencies.
“The Commission is collaborating with respective government agencies to obtain land allotment letters and partial development plans where the Commission has been allocated land. So far the commission has obtained 20 allotment letters,” stated Hussein.
The Auditor General Nancy Gathungu pointed out that the cost of 56 parcels of land which the office blocks of the commission have been constructed have been excluded from the commission’s financial statement.
Hussein told the watchdog committee that the electoral body requires an additional budget to undertake the valuation of property inherited from the defunct commission.
“Additional budget will be sought from the National Treasury to complete the registration process and to comprehensively undertake the valuation of all land and buildings, ”said the IEBC CEO.
The legislators however advised the poll agency to seek the services of the district and county valuers in the land valuation instead of awaiting cash approval from the exchequer.
“Instead of seeking additional funds from the National Treasury you can engage the services of the valuers from the country government as well as the district valuers as they are already being paid by the taxpayer,”said Funyula MP Wilberforce Oundo.
The Auditor General Nancy Gathungu also questioned the financial position of recovering monies which were issued in form of imprests and salary advances to staff and car loans to the ECK commissioners amounting to Sh 37.3 millio.
Apparently, the National Treasury has already obtained the funds but has not issued accounting records to write off the accounts from the Commission’s financial books which prompted the Auditor General to raise the queries.
Hussein has however stated that efforts have been made to institute recovery measures from the National Treasury which are yet to bear fruits.
“I have not seen anywhere that the money has been recovered and we have gone through the documentation to see if there’s anywhere that it has been indicated it has been recovered,”
“We cannot trace where this ECK staff are and that’s why we wrote to the National Treasury,” the CEO stated.
The committee however questioned why it has taken long for the poll body to obtain the monies from the National Treasury or write it off from their accounts.
“Why is it taking too long for the treasury to address this simple matter? Either they pay you or they advise on how to handle the book of accounts,” stated Mbadi.
“IEBC must look for settlement either by commission or treasury. If not those who are liable should be found and made to pay,”he added.
Funyula MP Wilberforce Oundo commented that there has been laxity from the poll agency to identify the staff of the defunct commission who have failed to remit funds to pay their loans.
“Government records are never destroyed they are always alive.The members of staff who left the ECK are Kenyans who have been registered with IDs and therefore they are traceable unless they have gone to meet their maker in heaven,”
“Is it a case that they are not traceable or no effort has been made or you find the amount is not material to afford your effort to trace the amount,” said Oundo.
PAC committee gave the electoral body one month to institute recovery measures or acquire approval of the money recovery from the National Treasury.