This archive report was first published on 24 July 2019.
On Tuesday, Garissa County Governor Ali Korane appeared before the Senate County Public Accounts and Investment Committee (CPAIC) to explain the irregular expenditure on dam projects in his county.
According to the Auditor-General's report, the county government spent Sh53.1 million through restricted tendering for the extension of the Kotile water supply to Alijarire and Hubi, the Hagalbul water supply, and sinking of the Dogob borehole.
The projects were awarded in mid-May 2018, and by June 30, 2018, they had already been fully paid for, despite the award violating the Public Procurement and Disposal (PPAD) Act.
When questioned about the choice of restricted tendering, Mr Korane attributed it to the then prevailing drought. However, the Senate committee was not satisfied with his answer.
CPAIC chairman Moses Kajwang' (Homa Bay) questioned the authenticity of the procurements, stating, "The auditors were in your county. They wrote you a management letter but you failed to provide the required documents."
Mr Korane also failed to explain why the contract agreement for the projects lacked completion dates.
The Auditor-General's report further observed that the Bill of Quantities (BQs) summary, supervision, and monitoring cost, and contingencies were neither supported by the recommendation of an evaluation committee nor approved by the accounting officer, contrary to the law.
Narok Senator Ledama Ole Kina suggested that the documents presented to the committee could be fabrications, stating, "The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) should follow those who were awarded the tenders to find out whether they filed returns."
