City Affairs

Auditor General flags Nairobi County's payment of Sh7.5 million for tyres

Auditor General Nancy Gathungu

By Maureen Kinyanjui | Thursday, April 11, 2024

Gathungu highlights that the examination of the payment voucher and supporting documents revealed a series of anomalies, as detailed in the report

Auditor General Nancy Gathungu has expressed concerns about the irregular payment of firefighting motor vehicle tyres.

The Auditor General's report on the Nairobi County Executive for the financial year ending June 30, 2023, reveals irregularities regarding the payment made by City Hall for the supply and delivery of firefighting vehicle tyres, amounting to Sh7,502,000.

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Gathungu highlights that the examination of the payment voucher and supporting documents revealed a series of anomalies, as detailed in the report. Among the key findings: "The payment was not supported by a requisition form from the user department for approval by the Head of Procurement Unit," reads part of the report.

Furthermore, the audit report indicates that essential procurement documents, including advertisements, tender opening minutes, register tender evaluation committee reports, and letters appointing both opening and evaluation committees, were notably absent.

The Auditor General also stated that evidence of regret letters sent to unsuccessful bidders was lacking, which raised concerns regarding the transparency of the procurement process as the payment was made.

Also, the payment was not supported by a requisition form from the user department for approval by the Head of Procurement.

"The payment was not supported by the required procurement documents, which include the advertisement, the minutes and register of the tender opening, the reports of the tender evaluation committee, the letters appointing the opening and evaluation committee, and evidence that the letters of regret sent to the unsuccessful bidders were not used for audit verification," reads part of the report.

Another glaring issue was the failure to form an inspection and acceptance committee to oversee the review, acceptance, or rejection of goods and services to ensure compliance with the contract's terms and specifications.

The report also noted a change in the procurement method from open tender to restricted, without providing proper approval for this alteration for audit review, casting doubt on the integrity of the procurement process.

A major concern highlighted in the report was the timeline discrepancy between the delivery of the tyres and the issuance of the inspection and acceptance committee certificate.

"The tyres were delivered on January 7, 2022, and the inspection and acceptance committee certificate was issued on March 9, 2022, indicating that goods were taken on charge before inspection," reads part of the report.

The auditor general also voiced concerns about transparency and accountability in procurement procedures, citing the lack of quarterly reports outlining the analysis of products bought through the framework agreement.

In addition to the issues surrounding tyre procurement, the report also flagged the County's payment of maintenance costs for motor vehicles belonging to Nairobi Metropolitan Services.

However, the transfer deed and the maintenance agreement for these vehicles were not provided for audit review, adding to the concerns raised by the Auditor-General.