National Employment Authority Makes Appearance Before House Committee Over Audit Queries
Ms Edith Okoki
By Our Correspondent
Worth Noting:
- According to the report, the Auditor General cited lack of segregation of duties where procurement and accounting were handled by one person. There was also the lack of a comprehensive information (IT) policy where services offered could not be confirmed.
- “It is true the Authority as constituted lacked internal control system as at financial year ended June 2019. This was due to lack of sufficient staff resulting to one employee handling more than three responsibilities. The Authority was awaiting approval from the Salary and Remuneration Commission (SRC) on the salary structure to enable us hire more staff, though the Public Service Commission is addressing the issue,” she responded.
The Acting Director General of the National Employment Authority Ms. Edith Okoki has cited lack of sufficient budgetary allocations as one of the biggest constraints the institution is facing as they struggle to discharge their duties.
She was speaking before the National Assembly’s Public Investments Committee on Social Services, Administration and Agriculture when she appeared for the first time since the institution was established in 2016.
She had been invited to respond to audit queries emanating from Audit Reports of three Financial Years; 2018/2019, 2019/2020 and 2020/ 2021.
Ms. Okoki and the Acting Director Corprate Affairs Caleb Okello told the Committee that the institution is currently headed by Acting managers seconded from the ministry of Labour.
This was after Committee Members Ekwom Naibun (Turkana North) and Fatma Jeho (Wajir) asked for an explanation behind the acting capacities which could affect the oparations of the institution.
Narrowing down to audit queries, the committee flagged out two issues from
the report of the Financial Year 2018/19.
According to the report, the Auditor General cited lack of segregation of duties where procurement and accounting were handled by one person. There was also the lack of a comprehensive information (IT) policy where services offered could not be confirmed.
“It is true the Authority as constituted lacked internal control system as at financial year ended June 2019. This was due to lack of sufficient staff resulting to one employee handling more than three responsibilities. The Authority was awaiting approval from the Salary and Remuneration Commission (SRC) on the salary structure to enable us hire more staff, though the Public Service Commission is addressing the issue,” she responded.
With regard to the lack of information technology policy, Ms. Okoki told the committee that a Data Recovery strategy was established in the financial year 2019/18 and presented before the board.
While reviewing the report of the Financial Year 2019/20, the Emanuel Wangwe – led Committee pointed out shortcomings in the Budget control and performance.
The committee discovered that Sh47 million or 16 per cent of the allocation was not spent and resulting to a negative impact on the plans and achievements of the Authority. Weak internal control was also cited here.
“With such challenges, how are you able to help Kenyans seeking for jobs outside the country, it’s annoying to see our people out there mistreated. Can the same situation for example, occur to American in any country? You need to have strong structures to deal with some of these issues”, said lBishop Jackson Kosgey who is a nominated member.
The committee wound up the sitting by reviewing the audit report of the 2020/21 Financial Year where four issues were pointed out. They include Budgetary control and performance, where underperformance of 41.4% was noted. In her response, the Director General told the Committee that this was as a result of a planned move to a new office block failing to materialize. She pleaded for leniency even as she endeavored to plan and budget accordingly.
Another issue of concern was on catering and conferencing where the renumeration of board of directors’ expense was wrongly classified under catering and conferencing budget line.
There was also the failure to update the fixed assets register. The Committee directed that the NEA produces the register of the assets together with the valuation register next week.
“During the year under review you did not know where your assets were. Now you are responding by telling us that you updated, what procedures did you use?”,Wangwe asked before closing the sitting.
Ms. Okaki in her closing remarks told the committee of the plans the Authority has intiated to tag their assets by providing details of responsible officers who are custodians of specific assets.
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