This archive report was first published on 4 December 2019.
Published on December 4, 2019, a Senate Public Accounts Committee inquiry revealed that Bomet Governor Hillary Barchok's administration spent Ksh8 million on executive furniture from Panesar, a high-end interior services provider.
The committee was shocked to learn that the governor's office features a Ksh800,000 mahogany couch with central locking leg rests, while his personal assistant sits on a Ksh398,000 chair with an extension for comfort.
Committee Chairperson Moses Kajwang questioned the wisdom of spending Ksh755,000 on a six-seater sofa set, saying, 'So the Bomet governor is seated on a chair worth a classroom. Is that really wise spending?'
Defending his administration's spending, Barchok blamed a flawed procurement system and hinted that a special audit by the Office of the Auditor General would clear him of any blame.
Senators took issue with the spending, with Narok Senator Ledama Ole Kina pointing out that the money could have been better used elsewhere, saying, 'If you are spending money which is allocated to 1,430 people to buy furniture, there is no way you will be able to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor in Bomet.'
Kiambu Senator Kimani Wamatangi also criticized the spending, saying, 'Even as they are sitting in those offices when a poor mother asks for bursary to take a child to school, they are given Ksh2,000.'
