Senators probe Laikipia Governor Joshua Irungu over irregular spending

Laikipia Governor Joshua Irungu.

Laikipia Governor Joshua Irungu was Tuesday questioned by the Senate watchdog committee over irregular financial dealings.

The Public Accounts and Investments Committee sought to understand the intrigues behind the allocation of over 600 hectares of land, a controversial payment of Sh2 million to a former councillor and the spending of Sh10 million in revenue.

The team also demanded to know the present debts and liabilities accrued, inventory of assets, irregular recruitment of staff and contravention of the procurement law in awarding contracts, among other financial anomalies.

Mr Irungu was hard-pressed to explain what action he had taken over the matters raised, especially the allotment of 638 sub-divided hectares on the Kandutura Settlement Scheme, for which a private surveyor purporting to be a Government employee was paid Sh1.7 million.

Committee vice chairman Hassan Omar (Mombasa), Kipchumba Murkomen (Elgeyo/Marakwet), Amos Wako (Busia) and George Khaniri (Vihiga) took the governor to task on what his administration had done to recover the funds and repossess the land in question.

Mr Omar noted that despite a freeze on all transfers of defunct councils' assets by the former Local Government ministry, a portion of the 638 hectares was carved out and sub-divided without the ministry's approval.

"The defunct local authority sub-divided and allocated Government trust land to the public, thereby encroaching on Government land and breaching the Government guidelines, rule and regulations," said the Mombasa senator in reference to the Auditor General's report.

He further asked Irungu whether the private surveyor in charge of Laikipia West was interdicted.

Irungu, affirming that land is an emotive issue, said he had stopped further allocation of the said plots meant for a slum upgrade and was going to surcharge the surveyor.

The governor said the county had over Sh500 million in debt and liability and that Sh2.9 billion was received in allocation and Sh1.8 billion spent on recurrent expenditure. "Most of the debts are on legal fees," said Irungu.

He said the hiring of 24 new staff happened in the transition period contrary to the former Local Government ministry's directive, which led to the loss of Sh738,760 paid as salaries.

"The clerk of the defunct local authority who hired the staff has since been interdicted and we are in the process of recovering the funds following a case by the anti-graft body," he said.