Women representatives are on the spot over Sh4 billion transferred to county committees through their offices to undertake various projects in the counties.
The Auditor-General, in his report for the year ended June 2017 tabled in Parliament, has raised a red flag over Sh4,013,958,103 for which county committees failed to provide project documentation for verification.
“The board’s approved committee projects reports were not provided for audit verification. There was no accountability statements from the county committees and supporting documents for the payments made out of the funds from the county committees bank accounts,” reads the Auditors’ report.
COMPLIANCE
“Records of the county committee’s bank accounts were not provided for audit examination. Consequently, it has not been possible to ascertain compliance with the funds’ regulations, receipt of funds and validity of payments out of these bank accounts by the county committees,” Mr Edward Ouko said in his report.
The Auditor-General also raised questions about Sh123 million of the fund categorised as emergency reserve which could not be traced.
The law stipulates that there shall be an emergency reserve of the fund made up of two per cent of the allocations which should not be used for any purpose as it is meant to cater for emergencies.
VULNERABLE
The emergency reserve is Sh123,600,000. However, the Auditor General pointed out that, by the time of the audit, there was no reserve fund.
The Fund established in 2016 is one of government initiatives anchored on the Vision 2030 development blue print under the Social Pillar to address the plight of vulnerable groups by reducing poverty and inequality through enhanced access to financial facilities for socio-economic empowerment among women, youth, Persons with Disabilities, needy children and elderly persons in the country.
MARGINALISED
Women representatives had previously raised concerns that, after being elected, they found out that they were virtually powerless.
Through the Affirmative Action Social Development Bill, they pushed for their own fund. It channelled money to the 47 women reps to fund development of marginalised groups in their counties.
Working much in the same way as the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), it gave them something against which their performance would be judged.