Former president Mwai Kibaki at a past function. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
Former President Mwai Kibaki owes Othaya Mukurweini Water Company Sh500,000.
The water bill has accrued since 2013 despite efforts to recover the money.
Former President Mwai Kibaki owes a Nyeri water company Sh500,000 and supply to his home may be disconnected, a county Assembly team was told on Thursday.
Othaya Mukurweini Water Company bosses told the Nyeri Health and Sanitation Committee that the bill has accrued since 2013 despite efforts to recover the money.
The company’s officials were put on the spot by Members of the County Assembly (MCA) for failing to collect Sh108 million in debt since 2013.
The former President was the highest individual debtor. Also in the list is Chinga Girls that owes the water company Sh5 million.
“We approached Mr Kibaki a few years ago before he left office and he ordered State House to settle the amount. They only paid Sh200,000,” said Peter Ndirangu, the water firm’s internal auditor.
Mr Kibaki’s spokesman, Gituku Ngari, however, refused to comment saying such matters are handled by the government according to the law on the ex-President’s perks.
“That is the much we can say now,” said Mr Ngari.
The Assembly’s committee chairman Stephen Mwaniki put the firm on the spot for failing to explain how Sh66 million was spent.
The auditor admitted that some documents were missing and asked for more time to trace them.
“We did not know that were required to produce such documents,” he defended the firm.
He shocked MCAs when he revealed that the company does not have any updated list of its debtors and neither has it disconnected water to some of those who owe it money.
“This shows that your officers receive bribes to keep water taps flowing. If this debt trend continues, you will be insolvent in a few years,” warned Mr Mwaniki.
In his defence, Mr Ndirangu said they have installed a new system that will be able to capture more data including the debt recovered.
There was an exchange between the auditor and Mr Mwaniki when the chairman demanded a report by the water firm’s audit committee board.
“Such reports are confidential and we cannot produce them. They are with the board,” said Mr Ndirangu.
“There is nothing like confidentiality. This is a public firm using public resources and the records must be produced,” countered the MCA.
The firm was asked to prepare more updated records and develop a debt recovery strategy to be presented to MCAs in the next sitting.
PAYE Tax Calculator
Note: The results are not exact but very close to the actual.
