Committee On Commercial Affairs And Energy Probes National Water Harvesting And Storage Authority’s Audit Queries
The committee during the session
By PSCU
The National Assembly Public Investments Committee on Commercial Affairs & Energy, chaired by Pokot South MP David Pkosing probed the management of the National Water Harvesting and Storage Authority over audit queries FY 2018/2019 to 2020/2021.
The committee is investigating queries noted by the Office of the Auditor General in the Authority’s financial books for the years under review.
Members put the Authority’s management led by Managing Director Engineer John Muhia to task on several queries noted by the Auditor General including the unverifiable figure of trade and other payables from exchange transactions balance totalling Sh1,134,402,781.
Members sought to know why the recurrent account bank reconciliation statement reflected a cashbook under cast of Sh1,956,997, a reconciling item which should have been adjusted in the cashbook before preparing the reconciliation.
Engineer Muhia told members that no reconciliations prior to the year 2009 could be traced as all accounting records were destroyed in a fire that gutted the Authority’s premises.
Pkosing probed further on whether the Authority had any digital backup of the relevant data.
“I presume that by this time most government systems had been automated. So why can’t that information be retrieved?” Posed Pkosing.
Engineer Muhia said Authority had hit a dead end after it’s banker, the Kenya Commercial Bank indicated through a letter dated 27 June 2023, that it could not provide information requested for the period dating back 14 years.
The committee is also probing Auditor General claims that the Authority had undisclosed and long Outstanding Loans totalling Sh2,460,874,897.
The committee also noted that the Authority’s financial books had not reflected the value of various assets earmarked for transfer to various Water Works Development Agencies totalling Sh16,781,832.
The committee was also scheduled to probe the Audit Queries of the Geothermal Development Company, FY 2017/2018 to 2020/2021.
The sitting was, however, adjourned to a later date after the Company’s Managing Director notified the committee that he had been summoned for an abrupt meeting at the Office of the Attorney General.
Pkosing gave the adjournment directive, citing the need for the MD, who is the Company’s overall accounting officer to be present.
“That is the law, and we cannot listen to any of you on these matters of audit, other than the MD who is the accounting officer,” said Pkosing.
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