Tharaka Nithi Governor at pains to explain unauthorised expenditure

For the second day running, a Senate committee probing spending by the Tharaka Nithi County Government dismissed the county officials after they failed to respond to their queries. Governor Samuel Ragwe told the committee he could only respond to statements but not on the county’s financial operations.

The Senators questioned the Governor’s response, claiming he could be hiding something especially with regard to an alleged payment of 111 million shillings to his personal account.

This comes in the backdrop of a loss of a 4 million shilling anaesthesia machine after it was stolen from the Chuka Hospital in the county.

A total 111.7 million shillings, meant for the development of health centres, was issued out with payment vouchers being made out to the personal account of the Chief Officer for Health. The money has neither been spent on its intended purpose nor returned to the county.

The Senators further took issue with the composition of the Tharaka Nithi Cabinet in the wake of queries on the county’s spending.

The meeting would for the second day running, be off to a false start with Governor Ragwa and his team of executives, claiming they had the wrong brief on matters to be raised at this meeting.

From the county’s accounts, 56.7 million shillings has been flagged as unauthorized expenditure. Of that amount, 3.6 million shillings was spent on financial management services with the rest of the amount spread out as unauthorised expense by the various county departments.

The Governor alone is accused of misappropriating a total 38.6 million shillings through unauthorised, unaccounted and unsupported expenditure.

The Governor and his executives also have to explain how 25.3 million shillings was lost through discrepancies in procurement procedures with some payments to firms that were not pre-qualified and doubtful deliveries.