The Auditor-General Edward Ouko has raised concerns over an irregular expenditure by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) during the 2017/18 financial year.
According to his report, the electoral agency spent Ksh700 million on food alone in its county offices during the 2017 General Elections.
He noted that the amount is part of the Ksh800 million which the commission’s chair Wafula Chebukati cannot account for.
In a report tabled in Parliament by majority leader Aden Duale, IEBC is stated to have used Ksh691,526,310 for catering services.
Ouko exclaimed that the amount was part of Ksh2.2 billion that was budgets on hospitality, supplies and services that saw the agency award contracts to service providers based on predetermined rates issued from IEBC’s headquarters in Nairobi.
The contracts, the auditor general says, were awarded with a total disregard to article 227 (1) of the Constitution which requires fairness, equity, transparency, cost-effectiveness and competition in the process of procurement of public goods and services.
He notes in his report, “In the circumstances, the validity of the expenditure of Sh691,526,310 incurred on catering services by the county offices could not be ascertained.
“In the absence of a competitive procurement process for the catering services, it could not be confirmed whether there was value money on the expenditure.”
Read: Why Did IEBC Pay Ksh180 million to Oracle for a System they Didn’t Use?
Additionally, the commission has been put to task to explain how Ksh36.2 million was used on event organizing by Wanderjoy Party World limited.
The commission is expected to appear before the National Assembly Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on a later date to shed more light on the expenses.
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