The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has voiced concerns over the State Law Office’s expenditure of more than Sh45 million.
The oversight Committee, led by nominated MP John Mbadi, grilled Solicitor General Shadrack Mose on Tuesday regarding the office’s failure to account for donor money.
The MPs put Mose to task to elucidate on the State agency’s inability to account for funds provided by the European Delegation GIZ to support the Legal Empowerment and Aid Delivery initiative.
The State Law Office did not create and submit financial statements on the expenditure of the money as required by law, a report from the Auditor General presented to the Committee shows.
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“It is disturbing that such an office cannot adhere to the law by preparing financial statements indicating how the money disbursed by the donor was spent,” Mbadi said.
He continued by noting that the Committee had witnessed similar instances when government organizations failed to account for donations, citing a violation of the law.
In his response, Mose said that the Auditor General was not given access to the financial statement because, at the time of the audit, the project was still in its early stages and had not yet really taken off.
“I want to confirm to the Committee that the financial statement has been prepared and presented to the Auditor General as required,” Mose explained.
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The Mbadi-led committee heard that the State Law Office violated the National Cohesion and Integration Act of 2008 by not taking regional balance into account while hiring workers.
This comes after the Auditor General’s audit revealed that of the 130 employees in the Business Registration Service department, 46 were from the same community.
In response to the question, Mose stated that the personnel were originally from the Attorney General’s office.
“We have resolved the issue by ensuring regional balance in the distribution of employment slots,” Mose said.
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The Committee was also informed that Sh17 million of the Sh216 million in gratuities paid to former employees could not be accounted for. There were no documents available to support the payment.
Mose nevertheless emphasized that the Agency had been successful in presenting financial records that accounted for the funds.
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