This archive report was first published on 7 July 2019.
On July 7, 2019, the government's handling of taxpayers' funds came under scrutiny after it emerged that Sh208 million was spent on 1,050 egg hatching machines that were later abandoned and stored in Kasarani and Mombasa.
The Youth Enterprise Development Fund had initially planned to distribute the machines to youth groups in 210 constituencies, but they were instead left to gather dust in storage facilities.
According to the Fund, the machines were declared obsolete and are still being stored at a cost of Sh1 million annually, with a total of Sh7 million already spent on storage fees.
Public officials have been accused of being too complacent when handling taxpayers' funds, with the Fund's case being just one example of a larger problem that has become endemic across many government departments.
Experts argue that the only way to stop this reckless handling of taxpayers' funds is by imposing consequences on those responsible for stalling such programmes.
The government has rolled out an agenda to create employment in the country, and it is expected that government agencies will be at the forefront of driving this agenda, rather than stalling it.
Kenya is still owed an explanation on how equipment worth millions of shillings was allowed to go to waste.
