Following the release of the Auditor General’s report that ranked Busia County Government as being one of those that misused Covid-19 funds, Governor Sospeter Odeke Ojaamong took to his facebook page guns blazing in defense of his administration over the same.
According to the Auditor general’s report; Having received a total of 262.8 million to fight Covid, the Ojaamong administration is accused of spending the funds without a work plan and therefore involvement of the County Assembly with Kshs. 504,266 still lying in a special Purpose account. The National Government’s grant of Ksh. 106 million had not been utilized as at 31st July 2020 as the executive attributed that to lack of guidelines on how to spend the funds…
Read the rest on the Auditor General’s report (pg. 97 – 107)
Governor Ojaamong writes;
Covid-19 that took the country by storm in March 2020 was reminiscent of the advent of devolution where structures were not put in place.
The onset of the pandemic took the country by storm with each county struggling to ensure the pandemic was contained at whatever cost.
With Busia categorized as a hotspot, health workers threatened industrial action demanding for personal protective equipment with county residents also demanding for drugs.
Procurement process takes about two months. Considering that it was a matter of life and death, counties had no option but to procure the necessary equipment using its pre-qualified. suppliers.
When Covid-19 broke out there were no standard prices for the related items especially masks which were then fetching for as high as Sh200 and now costing only Sh10.
It was a mix-up which should not be miscontrued to mean misuse of Covid funds, many people survived from the raging pandemic as a result of prompt measures taken by counties to enforce containment measures.
Not even tendering procedures could be followed considering the emergency in procuring the necessary equipment to fight the pandemic which has remained the world’s life threatening disease.
~ H.E. Sospeter Odeke Ojaamong – Busia Governor ~
