Sifuna Questions Ksh1.9 Billion 'Unofficially' Withdrawn from Nairobi County Bank Account

 Nairobi County has come under scrutiny following revelations in the Auditor General’s report that Ksh1.9 billion was withdrawn from the county's salary account without any supporting documentation.

Speaking on the matter in the County Assembly, Senator for Nairobi County and Deputy Minority Whip, Peter Sifuna, described the findings as “extremely troubling.” He told the assembly that the withdrawals lacked “payroll summaries, payment vouchers, approvals, or anything to show where this money was going.”

“If you read the report on Nairobi, it just starts with irregular, unsupported, unconfirmed, undisclosed,” Sifuna said, emphasizing the scale of the irregularities.

Sifuna also highlighted mismanagement in the county’s waste management system. According to the Auditor General, Nairobi County operated 56 solid waste collection trucks while simultaneously contracting private companies for garbage collection. The county incurred fuel expenditure amounting to Ksh124 million for these trucks, yet no evidence was provided to show that the vehicles were assigned to operational zones, activity logs, trip sheets, fuel consumption records, or supervisory reports.

“What the Auditor is saying is that you give private contractors contracts to collect garbage in Nairobi, and you assign them specific zones. Then you have your own 56 trucks, which you don’t assign to any zone,” Sifuna said. He warned that this lack of oversight created a scenario where payments could be made for work that may not have been carried out.

The Senator for Nairobi County, further drew attention to irregularities in the county’s school feeding program, dubbed “Dish in a County,” which consumes nearly Ksh1 billion annually. The Auditor General’s report noted serious flaws in program design and implementation, raising questions about accountability in one of Nairobi’s largest social programs.

Sifuna called for urgent action, insisting that the county must provide explanations for the unexplained withdrawals and the apparent gaps in oversight, especially in key public service areas.

The Auditor General’s report paints a worrying picture of financial management and governance in Nairobi County, highlighting the need for increased transparency and stricter accountability mechanisms to safeguard public funds.