Vihiga sports, youths, gender and culture executive member Marita Agufana was put to task to explain how the department handled Kshs 18 million. Appearing before the sports, youths, gender and culture County Assembly committee, Agufana who was accompanied by the chief officer Wycliffe Manyulu failed to fully unravel how the funds set aside to facilitate, sports and cultural activities in the 25 wards were utilized.
The Chair of the Committee Eric Odei said that his team was not convinced how the funds budgeted for in the last financial year were utilized yet there were no sports or cultural activities witnessed across the 25 wards.
Odei said that in the last financial year, the County assembly set aside Kshs 62.5 million for the activities and each ward was to receive Kshs 1.5 million for sports and an additional Kshs 1 million for cultural activities.
Appearing before the Committee, Agufana explained that the department only received Kshs 18 million for the said activities towards closure of the financial year.
The Vihiga CEC said that following advice from the finance counterpart, the funds were withdrawn from the department’s M-Pesa account and deposited on Kenya Commercial Bank-Mpesa Account to help run the activities which he said are soon being rolled out.
However, the committee wondered how funds meant to run activities in the last financial year are still being held yet another financial year has begun with different activities and funding.
“We want to establish if what the two officers have told the committee is true. What the law says is that by the end of the financial if there are government funds which have not been utilized they are returned to the treasury. We are yet to understand why this money was withdrawn and put on a KCB-Mpesa account. We have asked the CEC to provide us with bank statements and official communication from the CEC finance,” said a committee member.