I’m innocent, Tharaka Nithi woman rep says after damning audit

Tharaka Nithi Woman Representative Beatrice Nkatha has dismissed as misleading the Auditor-General’s report showing that millions of shillings from a government fund under her patronage cannot be accounted for.

The report for the year ending June 2019 reveals that out of Sh3.7 million from the National Government Affirmative Action Fund (NGAAF) that Tharaka Ntihi said was disbursed as bursaries to 600 students, only Sh400,000 can be accounted for.

The report also shows that a self-help group in the county was given Sh165,000 to buy a chicken egg incubator, but that Sh106,000 of it was used to buy a motorbike and members shared Sh59,000 among themselves without any explanation for the diversion.

Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu also revealed that another group of 16 disabled people was granted Sh189,000, also to buy incubators, but members shared 160,000 among themselves and the remaining 29,000 was used for table banking.

In a press statement, Ms Nkatha said she delivered all the Sh3.7 million appropriated for bursaries, only that by the time the audit was conducted, the beneficiary institutions had not acknowledged receipt of Sh3.3 million.

“The Auditor-General’s office should have consulted the management of the beneficiary institutions of the Sh3.3 million before concluding that the money cannot be accounted for,” she said.

For accountability and transparency, she said, she usually hands over bursary cheques in public in front of the benefiting students, parents and teachers.

She added that she was not aware whether the women’s groups that received money to buy incubators shared the money or diverted it into other projects.

She said her political opponents were using the report to try to ruin her reputation by branding her a thief.

Ms Nkatha is among 10 woman reps on the spot after the auditor cited the misuse of millions of shillings of NGAAF cash, ranging from diversion of money from the intended use to unaccounted-for bursary spending and procurements exceeding set limits.

The other queried lawmakers are Roza Buyu (Kisumu), Kawira Mwangaza (Meru), Purity Ngirici (Kirinyaga), Getrude Mbeyu (Kilifi), Rahab Mukami (Nyeri), Faith Gitau (Nyandarua), Jane Wanjiku (Embu), Zuleikha Hassan (Kwale) and Gladys Wanga (Homa Bay).