Former Sports Principal Secretary Richard Ekai is on the spot, again, over alleged misuse of public funds running into millions of shillings.
In a report tabled by the National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) yesterday, MPs want Mr Ekai (pictured) surcharged for incurring Sh42 million expenditure without lawful authority.
“Where no satisfactory explanation is provided to the Cabinet Secretary of National Treasury and Auditor General within the stipulated time, Richard Ekai should be surcharged for incurring expenditure of Sh42,979,650 without lawful authority,” reads part of the report.
This is after the committee chaired by Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi discovered that the Ministry of Sports, Culture and the Arts disbursed funds totaling Sh42,979,650 on patriotic basis to some organisations that had not complied with the Sports Act.
Another Sh83,844,527 was transferred to the ministry headquarters and although management explained it was a recurrent expenditure, no documentary evidence was provided to support the transfer and account for its utilisation.
The accounting officer submitted that it was true that the statements of receipts and payments reflect Sh1,828,427,199 as transfer to other Government units.
“As the accounting officer during the period under review, Ekai, should be reprimanded for failure to provide documents relating to an amount of Sh83,844,527 indicated as transfers to the ministry headquarters within the stipulated timelines,” reads the report.
There was further disbursement of Sh13 million to Kenya National Sports Council that was not supported by vouchers.
In the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, former PS Ali Noor Ismail is on the spot for making a Sh5,291,190 payment.
The committee noted that despite the fact that the pending bills had been settled, two payment vouchers relating to advertising and flowers, which were made in support of the payment, could not be traced.
“National Treasury CS should invoke power to compel Noor Ismail to provide within three months after adoption of this report, the basis for making a payment totaling Sh5,291,190 used for the purported procurement of advertising and flowers,” reads the report.
The accounting officer admitted that the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Database records reflected total employee compensation of Sh1.5 billion while the trial balance reflected Sh1.4 billion.
