Waiguru’s Sh780,000 Entertainment Expenses Spark Senate Outcry

In her Tuesday appearance before a Senate oversight committee, Governor Anne Waiguru of Kirinyaga faced the challenge of explaining the nearly one million shillings spent by the county government on entertainment during the launch of the Kerugoya car park project.

In a particularly snide remark, she revealed that the Sh 781,000 intended for entertainment services were directed towards ferrying people to the event. These startling discoveries emerged at a Public Accounts Committee sitting at the Senate, where Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu gave her findings on the financial year that rounded off in June 2021. The committee learned that for the official inauguration of the car park in Kerugoya, a supplier had been paid Sh 781,000 to cater for entertaining the guests.

Gathungu highlighted that the national government, via the Kenya Urban Support Programme (KUSP), had laid down the necessary groundwork related to the development of car parks, footpaths, and roadways. He clarified that any extra fees accrued by the county executive were excluded from the official estimate. Governor Waiguru, rebutted the point, claiming that the World Bank had supplied a conditional grant as support for this initiative in partnership with the county government. The county government’s services budget line for publicity, awareness, and promotion was allocated with proper budgeting.

However, Governor Moses Kajwang’, chairperson of the committee, urged for a comprehensive breakdown of the expenses incurred on entertainment services. The auditors anticipated a thorough explanation from the county government regarding the total expenditure, procurement procedures, and budget allocation. However, the governor, currently in his second term, maintained that the funds were not utilized for entertainment purposes, but rather for the provision of tents, chairs, a sound system, and refreshments during the event.

The governor responded in a lighthearted manner, jokingly mentioning that they were merely extending a warm welcome to individuals. Governor Waiguru then asked for a revision of the word “entertainment” and stressed that the issue at hand was not the sum of money spent, but rather the reason behind allocating funds to a project under the national government. Senator Edwin Sifuna of Nairobi dared the governor to specify the legislation that obligated her to initiate projects after their completion. The committee chairperson challenged the governor to disprove the Auditor-General’s claim regarding the expenditure being designated for entertainment services, by presenting supporting evidence.