WANGAMATI SUMMONED; The Senate sitting that left more questions than answers

In Summary;

• Sitting delayed by a 30-minute MCAs drama
• Majimbo’s allegation on Wangamati/Clerk private meetings
• Senate declines to admit document
• PFMA amendment
• Livestream (video)
• Wangamati’s salary-balancing act
• DOWNLOAD; CoBs letter to Assembly
• #iKUWEiKUWE Corner

The Monday, 28 June 2021 14:00hours Senate sitting which saw a summoned Bungoma Governor Wycliffe Wangamati attend wasn’t far from what Bungoma residents expected. The Bungoma Governor was accompanied by Deputy Governor Ngome, CECM Finance ~ Esther Wamalwa, County Communications Director Tim Machi, Governor’s Personal Assistant Stan Wepundi, MCAs Joram, Chemion, Lusenaka, Wamusai, Chebet, Balala, Wamusai, Sudi, Mwambu, Paul while the County Assembly of Bungoma Speaker Hon. Emmanuel Situma was accompanied by the Clerk to the Assembly John Mosongo, Assembly secretariat, Committee Chairpersons; Budget ~ Jack Wambulwa, Chair Public Admin ~ Majimbo Okumu, Finance ~ Mukhongo, Majority leader ~ Juma Nyongesa, Chair Public Accounts ~ Tony Barasa, MCA Pepela,

Sitting delayed by a 30-minute MCAs drama

Pro-Wangamati MCAs who had allegedly been flown to Nairobi caused a scene before the start session at the Senate when they demanded that they be incorporated in the Speaker’s team of 10 who were allowed in the plenary as the rest were expected to sit at the public gallery. The team started a loud protest when the Speaker insisted that he cant have them on his team since they had filled up the required 10 positions with; Speaker, Clerk, committee chairs and secretariat. The Senate’s security directed that they either choose to use the public gallery or exit the premises all together. This then prompted Wangamati to have some join him to fill his team of 10.

Wangamati’s communication team had to end two livestreams running concurrently when things got hot for their boss.

Majimbo’s allegations on Wangamati/Clerk private meetings;

The Public Administration and ICT Committee Chair Hon. Majimbo Okumu alleged that Wangamati had on one occasion told the Assembly Clerk that the Assembly shouldn’t bother contacting the Chief Officer (CO) Finance Diana Naswa for he (Wangamati) had issued instructions to her not to approve and forward the Assembly’s requisition on the exchequer release. Majimbo informed the Senate that it all started with his committee invited governor Wangamati to have him shade light on administrative issues, summons that Wangamati declined to honor prompting them to start an impeachment motion with 43 MCAs signing in support of the removal of the governor through an impeachment process. Since then there has been a push and pull which has seen the governor manage to convince some MCAs to reconsider their earlier stand.

Majimbo informed that Wangamati has at each opportunity attempted to arm-twist, blackmail the Assembly into dropping the impeachment motion and by extension stifling the Assembly’s operations… in the process Wangamati sponsored changes made in the Assembly leadership where Hon. Bethwel Mwambu replaced Hon. Tony Barasa as the Minority Leader just to have things done his way. Majimbo concluded that the move by Wangamati to deny the assembly its share of the exchequer release is what prompted the Speaker to write to the Senate inviting it’s intervention.

The Clerk was then asked to take an oath just to confirm/deny the allegation which he did informing the Senate that indeed what the Khalaba MCA had alluded to was true and nothing but the truth… He went ahead to indicate that he advised Wangamati against attempting to suffocate the Assembly and/or pushing for change in Assembly leadership but the County CEO could hear none of that.

#iKUWEiKUWE Livestream from Senate / Courtesy Daniel Psirmoi;  https://www.facebook.com/groups/172326520314211/permalink/816569035889953/

In Wangamati’s response he confirmed that he had met the Clerk thrice: 1. Wangamati’s home 2. Wangamati’s Tourist Hotel and 3. Wangamati’s office… He also indicated that the Assembly had not formally complained in writing about challenges they were facing in regard to exchequer requisition… A statement that prompted Makueni Senator Mutula Kilonzo jnr to ask if indeed meeting Wangamati privately was a condition the Assembly leadership has to fulfil before getting its rightful share.

Deputy governor Prof. Charles Ngome rising to support the idea of halting the sitting indicated that the issues at hand were as a result of the Political rivalry between the Governor and Senator of Bungoma County Hon. Moses Masika Wetangula… A statement that was immediately downplayed by the Senate saying that the sitting was convened to tackle none Compliance of the PFMA act via a petition filed by the Assembly, The Chair of the committee later revisited the statement advising the County leadership to consider finding a working relationship back home

Senate declines to admit document

Wangamati failed to table a bank statement to confirm that indeed money is available and safe but instead presented a computer generated document full of errors that had not been properly addressed, with no date, not signed… Makueni Senator Mutula Kilonzo Jnr declared the document strange and inadmissible… It was therefore not admitted leaving many questions unanswered.

The document nevertheless confirmed what ikuweikuwe.com and the Controller of Budget has been publishing over time that; Money was paid to suppliers and individual

The document did not answer the many questions that had been asked concerning Salaries so did the governor. The sitting therefore ended without workers knowing when exactly they will be paid.

PFMA amendments;

The issues raised by the County Assembly of Bungoma may as well have provoked the Senate to consider amending the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) to allow County Assemblies enjoy financial autonomy to avoid future manipulations such as one Bungoma is facing which by extension

Wangamati’s salary-balancing act;

#iKUWEiKUWE has in its possession a document from the ministry of agriculture to Finance depart requesting to have funds transferred from their designate vote heads. Our investigations have since established that the move is illegal and unprocedural and will most likely bring audit queries in future. Its also not possible that the Assembly will debate and pass the supplementary budget before end of tomorrow Wednesday, 30 June 2020

Bungoma County employees will have to wait longer for salaries to be paid even as the actuary battles with balancing his arithmetic

Letter from the Controller of Budget (CoB)

On 22^nd June 2021 The Controller of Budget wrote to the assembly in response to a letter dated 3^rd June 2021 in which the Bungoma County Assembly had made two allegations, namely;

1. That there was a deliberate attempt by the County Executive to deny the County Assembly its share of Revenue, and
2. That the County Executive has failed to submit statutory documents on time.

Download letter letter here; Memo to COB on Bungoma Issues.edited 22-6-21

The letter reads in part…

Review of Bank Statements-Operational Accounts

In order to ascertain utilization of funds released to pay May 2021 salaries, we obtained the Bungoma County Recurrent Operational Account (for the County Executive) and the Bungoma County Assembly Recurrent Operational Account. A copy of the bank statements is attached.

On review, we ascertained the following:

The County Executive: The OCoB had approved a request of Kshs. 391,495,421 to pay May 2021 salaries on 28^th May, 2021. This transaction was credited in the bank statement on 31st May, 2021.

As of 17^th June 2021, the County Executive had not utilized the Kshs. 391,495,421. Running bank balance as of 17^th June, 2021 was Kshs. 393,413,578.

The County Assembly: The OCoB had granted an approval of Kshs. 30,869,566 to pay May 2021 salaries for Assembly staff. Our review of the bank statement ascertained that this amount was credited on 11th June 2021 while salary payments were processed on 14^th June, 2021. Running bank balance as of 18^th June, 2021 was Kshs. 7,254,167.60.

#iKUWEiKUWE Corner;

In our corner today as we ponder on the Salary question we have chosen to publish concerns raised by Prof. Nyukuri Barasa a governance specialist. He writes;

EMERGING ISSUES AND UN ANSWERED QUESTIONS FROM TODAY’s INTER-PARTY SENATE SESSION OF THE FINANCE and BUDGETS COMMITTEE:

1. That Torch Africa Organization is in possession of some documentary information and evidence on the suspicious suppliers paid Ksh. 711,492,000 approved by the Controller of Budgets on the 28/5/2021;

2. According to the Document presented by the County Governor Wycliffe Wafula Wangamati, the County Executive paid Ksh. 391,449,412.00 as Salaries to the County Government Workers from the aforementioned Disbursement.

3. That the County Executive of Bungoma paid pending bill for Garbage Collection to the tune of 17,550,532.00

4. That the County Executive Committee paid comprehensive NHIF to the tune of Ksh. 72,353,305.00

5. That the County Executive Committee paid O& M Allowances to the tune of Ksh. 30,615,214.00

6. That the County Executive paid again O & M Suppliers Ksh. 53,463,503.00

7. That the County Executive disbursed to the County Assembly of Bungoma Ksh. 30,569,566.00 from the Ex Chequer Release approved by the Controller of Budgets;

8. That the County Executive paid the Contractor for the Dual Carriage Road (Development) Ksh. 128,552,080.00

9. The County Executive of Bungoma used a total of Ksh. 711,492,000.00 to pay the above pending bills, including salaries for the County Government Workers!

10. The Senate Committee of Finance and Budgets should in its Report to the Senate recommend that duty bearers that were involved in the said Financial Fraud be investigated by a multi-agency team composed of DCI, EACC DPP, Auditor General & the Central Bank Anti-Fraud Unit;

11. That those involved should step aside before the investigations begin!

The following questions and issues remained unanswered by Governor Wycliffe Wafula Wangamati and his County Executive Delegation at the Senate Committee Session:

Q1. Where did the County Executive of Bungoma get the money to pay for the undefined suppliers like O& M allowances and O& M Suppliers?

Q2. Who are these 0& M Suppliers and individuals who got allowances?

Q3. Where did the Governor Wycliffe Wafula Wangamati get the Ksh. 128,552,080.00 to pay for the Dual Carriage Road, when the votehead for the same flagship project had Nil balance for the Financial Year 2020/21?

Q. 4. If it is true that the Governor and his County Executive Committee paid the Salary for may 2021, why are the County Government Workers crying/ complaining that they have not been paid their May 2021 Salaries?

Q. 5. Why did the County Governor inform the Senate Committee of Finance and Budgets that the 391,449,412.00 for Salaries was intact in the County Executive Bank Account?