Governor Stephen Sang faced rigorous scrutiny during a hearing held by the Senate County Public Investments and Special Funds Committee. This session revealed a troubling pattern of irregular expenditures and systemic financial failures in Nandi County’s 2024/2025 audit reports.
Chaired by Senator Godfrey Osotsi, the hearing underscored significant accountability issues related to the Facilities Improvement Fund (FIF), the Climate Change Fund, and the Education Scheme.
The sharpest inquiry focused on the FIF, where auditors flagged an extraordinary spike in employee costs, exploding from KSh 540,000 to KSh 24.8 million.
Governor Sang attributed the variance to hiring temporary medical staff following the suspension of 1,899 health workers. Furthermore, the committee questioned how KSh 15.4 million transferred to Kaptumo, Chepterwai, and Kabiyet hospitals remained unconfirmed, given that the facilities failed to submit financial statements.
Senator Godfrey Osotsi, the Committee Chair, described the situation as a fundamental breakdown in accountability. “When KSh 15 million vanishes into a ‘no-statement’ void, it is the citizens of Nandi who suffer,” Osotsi said, adding that the committee would not accept bookkeeping convenience as a substitute for transparency and that those statements must be produced within seven days.
Echoing these concerns, Senator George Mbugua noted that a jump to KSh 24.8 million in staff costs is a massive red flag. He demanded documented proof that every single one of those temporary workers was properly procured and actually provided a service to the people of Nandi.
In his management response, Governor Stephen Sang told the committee that the county acted to save the health sector from collapse after nearly 1,900 letters were revoked. He clarified that these engagements were a stopgap measure that had since been discontinued and pledged to furnish the committee with all supporting documentation to demonstrate that the expenditure was necessary and lawful.
The Climate Change Fund audit surfaced a glaring KSh 7.23 million omission from the trial balance, which officials admitted was a “bookkeeping error” involving a building asset.
Additionally, Senators raised alarms over water projects in Kiropket, Kiptenden, and Kapkawa constructed on private land without formal titles or legal agreements, risking the security of public investments.
The Nandi Education Scheme mirrored these weaknesses, with auditors revealing that KSh 50.2 million in bursary transfers lacked acknowledgement receipts from learning institutions.
This prompted a sharp rebuke from Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei, who insisted that the people of Nandi cannot be treated as spectators in the management of their own resources.
“To have over KSh 50 million in bursaries floating without receipts while students struggle for fees is a betrayal,” Senator Cherargei told the session.
He warned that the executive would not be allowed to hide behind technical classifications to avoid responsibility for every shilling intended for the county’s youth.
Senator Osotsi closed the session by directing Nandi County to provide all outstanding documents to the Auditor General before the March 31 committee report tabling deadline.
He warned that the committee would consider recommending legislative sanctions against counties that persistently fail to submit source documents in time.
By Anthony Solly
