All Government Parastatals Must Be Audited, Public Investment Committee Says
Some of the PIC committee during yesterday's session
By PSCU
Worth Noting:
- Jackson Kosgey, a nominated MP and Peter Martin Owino from Ndhiwa constituency asked the committee to agree to recomendations that will help liberate some of these State Agencies from Ministries which have continued to deny them their budgetary independence.
- During yesterday’s sitting, five State Agencies appeared before the committee.
- They include the management of Mathari National Teaching and Referral Hospital who ware the first to appear.
The National Assembly’s Public Investments Committee on Social Services Administration and Agriculture has raised concerns over the operations of state Agencies who are operating under the financial control of Ministries when they have already been established under Acts of Parliament to oparate as Autonomous.
These reservations were expressed as the committee sat for the third day in a row, to look into the books of accounts for those institutions who have never been audited since their establishment. Members expressed concerns over the absence of corporate governance in many Government Parastatals and the delay in appointing the Boards of management.
Jackson Kosgey, a nominated MP and Peter Martin Owino from Ndhiwa constituency asked the committee to agree to recomendations that will help liberate some of these State Agencies from Ministries which have continued to deny them their budgetary independence.
During yesterday’s sitting, five State Agencies appeared before the committee.
They include the management of Mathari National Teaching and Referral Hospital who ware the first to appear.
The hospital’s Chief Executive officer Dr. Julius Ogeto told the committee that currently they only receive grants through the Ministry of Health and thus their books are audited together with the Ministry’s.
However the committee established that the hospital receives daily collections from the public which the legislators directed must be subjected to auditing by the office of the Auditor-General. Currently, the premier mental health facility is run by a board of management that came into operation in October 2020.
The Media Complaints Commission was the second to appear.
The Registrar of the Commission Jamilla Yesho who was accompanied by the Director of Media Strategy at the Media Council of Kenya, Victor Bwire, told the Committee that currently they receive their budgetary allocation through the Media Council of Kenya.
The committee chairperson Emanuel Wangwe from Navakholo constituency wondered why this was the case yet the Act establishing the Commission provides that the two entities powers to oparate independently.
Speaking on behalf of the Media Council of Kenya, Bwire requested the Committee to help push for the amendment of the Media Council Act 2017 to allow the two bodies operate independently with respective budgets.
Miwani Sugar Company Receiver Manager Harun Kirui, Physiotherapy Council of Kenya Acting Chief Executive Officer, Dauglas Kotut and the Public Health Officers and Technicians Council Chief Executive Officer, Aggrey Oriemo were the next to appear respectively.
Mumias Sugar Company management told the lawmakers that they had closed shop and are now only doing large scale cane farming due to a court case affecting over 900 acares piece of land.
The committee directed that they prepare their books of accounts on all funds received and invite the Auditor-General to review their books before reappearing before the lawmakers.
The audit review continues today.
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