For the first time in many years, Auditors failed to show up at a Senate session where Kajiado Governor Joseph Ole Lenku was set to be grilled.
The Public Accounts Committee chaired by Senator Moses Kajwang’ halted the proceedings after Edward Ouko’s staff who carried out the audit failed to appear without giving an official communication.
Governor Lenku and his team of top finance officers had arrived for the session when a member alerted the chair that the office of the Auditor General was not represented and that only its liaison officer was present.
Senators Sam Ongeri, Ledama Ole Kina and Millicent Omanga said the co.mittee could not continue.
Meru senator Mithika Linturi and his Kiambu counterpart were of the opinion that the hearing could go on with or without the auditor general.
Kajwang ruled that the auditor general was like a prosecutor and the County Executive the accused and the case could not proceed without a prosecutor.
It was a rare occurrence in the history of parliamentary procedure that auditors miss such a session without formal communication.
The Liasion officer was hard pressed to explain the whereabouts of the “Hub Auditors”. “I can’t reach all of them on phone. I do not know where they are,” the liaison officer told the shell shocked committee.
Among the queries governor Lenku was to address was the incomplete Ngong Stadium budgeted at Sh 198 M and the never ending library project in Kajiado town worth Sh 119 Million.
He was also to answer, as a government, why revenue for 2016/17 financial year dropped to Sh 557 M from Sh 680M the previous year.
The revenue has since Ole Lenku came into office rose to Sh 1.1Billion.