Governor Kihika grilled over Ksh.1M stalled toilet, Ksh.7.8B 'ghost' projects

Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika found herself in a tight spot when she was grilled by the Senate Public Accounts Committee over alleged financial misappropriation and stalled county projects, among them a Ksh.1 million toilet that has remained incomplete for three years.

The committee is calling on the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to investigate over Ksh.22 million paid to various law firms without supporting documents. 

Kihika was on the spot with the Senate committee putting her to task over alleged misuse of billions of shillings, including stalled projects worth Ksh.7.8 billion.

The projects had been flagged by the Auditor General, who said that the county failed to provide documentation or progress reports.

The county could not explain why several projects, including a stalled market toilet worth just Ksh.1 million, have dragged on for three years.

“What happened to this toilet, just worth Ksh.1 million that has stalled since 2019?” asked Moses Kajwang’, Senate PAC chair.

“I don’t want to answer in a way that I will mislead the Senate,” responded Governor Kihika.

Other stalled projects include ECD toilets, with the committee questioning how the pupils were surviving under the circumstances.

“What happened to these ECD toilets stalled for years? So, are the pupils using bushes to relieve themselves?” posed Taita Taveta Senator Johnes Mwaruma

“We will do a report with more details, but I wanted to build ECD toilets because they were sharing with older pupils,” Kihika explained.

The Governor also struggled to explain why the county bypassed its attorney and hired private law firms without approval.

“They have a county attorney, but they went ahead illegally to hire private law firms. They are yet to provide us with documents,” noted the auditor.

Kihika failed to justify payments of over Ksh.22 million to private lawyers without proof of service.

“Where is the attorney to answer this? I don’t understand why he isn’t here,” Kihika remarked.

The Senate committee is now calling on EACC to step in and investigate how the payments were made to private legal firms without documentation, and to ensure those behind the irregularities are held accountable.