Busia Governor Paul Otuoma is facing sharp scrutiny after an audit report for the financial year ending June 30, 2024, revealed questionable use of county funds, including the hiring of a consultant paid KSh4.98 million to confirm the classification of a hospital already listed as Level 5.
The Senate County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC) has demanded an explanation from the governor over what it termed a misuse of public funds.
“This reads like a fictional story, Governor, that you gave a consultancy KSh4.98 million to advise you on whether the hospital should be Level 5 when it was already Level 5. This one is drama,” said CPAC Chairperson Moses Kajwang.
Kitui Senator Enock Wambua questioned the logic behind the consultancy, arguing that the classification of health facilities is a function of the Ministry of Health and the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council.
“What do you need consultancy services for? There is a clear process for upgrading facilities. It’s about service provision, not consultancy,” Wambua said.
Governor Otuoma struggled to justify the expenditure, saying, “There was just an arbitrary registration in the county to say that this is now a facility Level 4 and Level 5.”
The senators also raised alarm over declining county revenue, citing a steep drop in parking fee collections from KSh4.9 million to KSh2 million, suggesting possible embezzlement. “Where did the rest of the money go?” Kajwang asked.
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna criticised the governor for failing to act on glaring financial inconsistencies. “If you were brought numbers showing a 70 percent decline, you should have already demanded answers from your chief officer,” he said.
The Auditor-General’s report also revealed that Busia County has been conducting official business using unofficial email accounts, a breach of government protocol that raises concerns about data security and transparency.
