Meru Governor Isaac Mutuma has been given two weeks to submit all documents relating to the tendering and construction of public toilets at Timau Stadium after discrepancies emerged over the project’s location and existence.
The directive was issued on Monday by the County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC) during a session at Parliament Buildings, following conflicting accounts between the Meru County Executive and the Office of the Auditor-General over the Sh1.9 million project.
According to the Auditor-General’s report, the toilet facility was to be constructed inside Timau Stadium for use by sportspeople and spectators attending matches.
However, Governor Mutuma told the Committee that the facility was instead built outside the stadium to serve both stadium users and members of the surrounding community.
“The project was put up outside the stadium to serve the wider public,” Governor Mutuma told the Committee.
Auditor-General officials said that during a physical verification exercise, conducted in line with audit procedures and in the presence of county officials, they were unable to locate the toilet facility within the stadium.
An officer from the County Department of Sports who accompanied the audit team also confirmed that no such facility existed inside the stadium.
The Governor disputed the audit findings and attempted to submit photographic evidence to support his claim, but the move was rejected by CPAC chairperson Senator Johnes Mwaruma, who insisted that documentation submitted to the Auditor-General was the only basis for verification.
Senator Mwaruma, backed by Senator Enock Wambua (Kitui), maintained that the tender documents were explicit that the toilet was to be constructed inside the stadium.
They questioned who authorised the change of location and whether public participation was conducted before the decision was made.
“There is a possibility that we are dealing with two different projects,” Senator Wambua observed, describing the matter as a typical case of misappropriation of public funds.
“There is no toilet, and we must take tough action against those who want to misuse public funds for personal gain,” he added.
Senator Wambua further questioned why documents relating to the project were not submitted to the Auditor-General during the audit process, saying the omission raised serious red flags.
The Committee directed Governor Mutuma to take administrative action against officers who failed to submit the required documents, noting that under the Public Audit Act, failure to provide audit documentation is a criminal offence punishable by up to six months’ imprisonment.
“The County Executive should submit the minutes and all relevant documents to this Committee within the next two weeks,” ruled Senator Mwaruma.
CPAC also raised concerns over 496 voided transactions valued at Sh766.8 million during the financial year, for which the County Executive failed to provide reconciliation statements.
While Governor Mutuma attributed the voided transactions to technical and procedural issues, the Committee rejected the explanation and ordered that all transactions be fully accounted for.
