Editorials

Punish public funds wastage

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Auditor General Nancy Gathungu. PHOTO | LUCY WANJIRU | NMG

The lack of accountability in public spending needs to stop. From reports compiled by the Office of the Auditor-General, numerous instances of theft and wastage by government departments and agencies are laid out.

Yet there is little, if any, action taken to hold those found breaching the public trust to account, whether through prosecution, sackings or clawback of the lost funds.

In the latest case, the State Department for Fisheries, Aquaculture and Blue Economy incurred an expense of Sh11.3 million to rent an office that remained unoccupied for 21 months.

The space was leased on the 13th floor of the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) Building for the financial year 2018/19 and the last two quarters of the financial year 2017/18.

The Auditor-General, Nancy Gathungu, says that although payments were made to reserve the office space, the explanation is not satisfactory in regard to the delay in occupancy and expenditure incurred.

Further, only part of the expenditure was supported by documentary evidence. It is not enough to document wastage — action must be taken to curb it by punishing the culprits.