Kenya’s Ambassador to France Judi Wakhungu is on the spot over
the irregular payment of Sh7 million for purchase of a car she used
during her tenure as Environment, Water and Natural Resources secretary
(CS).
The ministry bought Prof Wakhungu the top of the range vehicle for her personal use contrary to a presidential circular Ref No CAB/56/2A of July 7, 2011, which gave the upper limit of Sh2 million.
The ministry bought Prof Wakhungu the top of the range vehicle for her personal use contrary to a presidential circular Ref No CAB/56/2A of July 7, 2011, which gave the upper limit of Sh2 million.
“In
the circumstances, the department spent Sh5 million irregularly and the
amount has not been recovered,” Auditor- General Edward Ouko said.
He noted that Prof Wakhungu was entitled to a car allowance of Sh7 million taxable as per the presidential circular.
Water and Sanitation secretary Simon Chelugui, who succeeded
Prof Wakhungu, has written to his Foreign Affairs counterpart, Monica
Juma, seeking assistance to recover Sh2,100,000 in tax refund that the
ministry failed to withhold during the purchase of the fuel guzzler.
“In
order to correct this anomaly, we request you to facilitate recovery of
Sh2.1 million tax refund and remit the same to Kenya Revenue Authority
and inform us accordingly,” Mr Chelugui said in a letter dated August
15, 2017.
Water and Sanitation principal secretary
Joseph Irungu tabled the letter when he appeared before the Public
Accounts Committee (PAC) on Friday to respond to audit queries for the
ministry’s books of account for the year to June 2015.
Mr
Chelugui said the ministry pursuant to the presidential circular Ref No
CAB/56/2A of July 7, 2011 procured a motor vehicle for Prof Wakhungu.
“The
ministry, however, erroneously failed to withhold tax amounting to
Sh2,100,000, which is 30 per cent of the Sh7 million authorised car
allowance.”
“This matter has been queried by Auditor-General and is
appearing in the Public Accounts Committee report for the financial year
2014/15 and 2015/16,” Mr Chelugui said in a letter to CS Juma.
A
letter written to then Environment and Natural Resources PS Charles
Sunkuli dated August 26, 2016 shows that the ministry purchased the car
from Toyota Kenya Limited for Prof Wakhungu, but did not deduct the tax
as stipulated in the presidential circular.
Mr Irungu
told the committee chaired by Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi that the ministry
allocated the Toyota Prado to Prof Wakhungu for personal use despite
also having an official government vehicle.
“There is
no indication of number of vehicles that a cabinet secretary is entitled
to. I think it goes per need. It is left to normal practice where they
get an official vehicle on top of one for private use,” a human
resources manager who accompanied Mr Irungu told MPs.
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