In its report for County Executives for the fiscal year 2022-2023, the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) revealed billions looted by governors and other county officials.
Meru County, led by Kawira Mwangaza, was one of the devolved units with the the least reports of county officials looting taxpayer funds.
It was also one of the few counties in Kenya where Auditor General Nancy Gathungu did not flag for tribal appointments when employing county staff.
Areas of concern that were identified in Meru County included; Irregular payment of emergency call allowances, unsupported expenditure and unconfirmed transfers to other government entities.
For irregular payment of emergency call allowances, while other counties were being accused of underpaying doctors, Kawira Mwangaza was accused of overpaying them.
“Financial statements reflect compensation of employees totalling Ksh5 million which includes Ksh126 million paid to 161 doctors and medical officers as emergency call allowances. However, it was observed that the payment rates used of Ksh72,000, Ksh66,000 and Ksh80,000 were higher than the Ksh30,000 per month stipulated in the Salaries and Remuneration Commission Circular,” Gathungu observed in her submissions.
The Auditor General also revealed that she was unable to determine the accuracy and propriety of Ksh1.2 million in legal fees paid by the county government.
It should be noted that the legal fees were paid in a 2021 case that occurred prior to Kawira Mwangaza's election as governor.
Concerns were also raised in the report about the use of funds for the construction of a new ablution block and clubhouse.
According to the report, the Ksh2 million used for the project was not supported by advertisements, notices of tender, or bid documents.
It should be noted that the legal fees were paid in a 2021 case that occurred prior to Kawira Mwangaza's election as governor.
Concerns were also raised in the report about the use of funds for the construction of a new ablution block and clubhouse.
According to the report, the Ksh2 million used for the project was not supported by advertisements, notices of tender, or bid documents.
While the Auditor General did not indicate that money was lost during the project, her report stated that she could not vouch for the accuracy, propriety, or completeness of the amount spent on the project.
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