Sometime after elections in 2022, Kisii county leadership made headlines for conducting a crackdown on ghost drivers assigned to county vehicles, highlighting how the use of public assets are shredded in corruption. Two years later, it now beats logics how the leadership has turned to be preaching water while drinking wine, if the latest Auditor General Report is anything to go by.
Within the financial 2023/2024 financial year, the county lost a whooping Sh30 million spent in purchasing fuel that was not drawn by county vehicles, an amount more than half it used on fuel, oil and lubricant which was Sh55,539,905. "The vehicle, plant, and machinery had not drawn the fuel.
In addition, the prepaid fuel to the third supplier of Sh10 million was yet to be consumed as at the date of audit in 23 October, 2024, four months after the prepayment was made," the report partly reads. However, Kisii case is not isolated, as the report highlighted several other counties riddled in the scandalous use of assets, particularly, vehicles to siphon hundreds of millions of taxpayers' money fraudulently. Nairobi County, the report revealed, paid insurance cover for 31 vehicles that are nonexistent in a general insurance service contract involving Sh129,713,854 for 226 vehicles, with only 195 in the list attached in payment documents of the contract signed in May 14, 2024 The report also uncovered how the City County Executive acquired additional vehicles during the financial year under review but failed to provide reports on additional cover and valuation for audit review. Further, while the audit revealed that 145 vehicles remained idle throughout the year without drivers assigned to them, it also emerged that some vehicles and equipment are operated by more than one driver. 402 vehicles were discovered to be non-operational, and the management did not provide records to confirm the dates when the assets were grounded and a disposal plan for the assets. "Records provided indicated that nineteen vehicles were involved in road accidents while six vehicles were written off by the insurer.
However, evidence that the insurance company paid for the claims lodged in respect of the motor vehicles was not provided for audit." At the same time, the audit indicated that 14 vehicles were detained by private dealers and garages due to outstanding bills amounting to Sh36,223,235, with the county failing to issue job cards and Local Service Orders with details regarding repairs done on the vehicle, inspection reports as well as contracts between the County and the suppliers. A contract worth Sh39,793,429 for purchasing a motor vehicle prime mover is also in question as the county failed to provide the agreement for audit review.
