The management of Kirinyaga County Water and Sanitation Company (KICOWASCO) has been urged to take necessary steps in ensuring that public resources are spent prudently.
This follows the Auditor General’s report in the water company for the year ended 2022 that raised eyebrows on the Board of Director’s spending which exceeded the budget by 68 percent hence breaking the recommended WASREB guidelines.
The report found out that the Board spent a whopping Kes. 11.7 million against the recommended Kes. 7 million all without remitting statutory deductions worth Kes.14.6 million to LAPTRUST, the staff pension scheme.
The Committee also observed that the water company had not acquired a title deed or ownership documents for the parcel of land that hosts the headquarters.
Yesterday, while evaluating the report, Chairperson of the PIAC Committee who is also the Wamumu Ward MCA Hon. Peter Njiru, was apprehensive that lack of ownership documents, could subject the water company to encroachment hence open a costly legal tussle which could further jeopardize the Company’s financial position.
“I urge the management to liaise with the department of lands together with Tana Water works so that the ownership quagmire can be solved amicably” Hon. Peter Njiru said.
Kangai Ward MCA Hon. James Wambu on the other hand brought the management to task warning that the Assembly will soon come up with measures of recovering monies not properly appropriated.
“As an Assembly, we shall not hesitate to recover public money which is spent without following the requisite law. We will surcharge people misusing funds meant for public good” Hon. Wambu said.
On their part, the management led by the line County Executive Committee Member Hon. James Mutugi, said that moving forward, the company which is now fully owned by the County Government, has put in place prudent financial management measures which will soon put the institution in a healthy financial position.
On Board spending , the Chief Officer in charge of water and Natural Resources Mr. Peter Murimi, said that expenditure has so far not exceeded Kes.4 million with 3 months remaining to the end of the financial year.
Kirinyaga County Water and Sanitation Company is currently owned by the County government of Kirinyaga unlike in the previous arrangement where the institution was limited by guarantee