Nairobi County government spent Sh10,800 to buy a cooking gas cylinder at one of its health facilities, it has been revealed.
The damning revelation emerged during a County Assembly Public Accounts Committee (PAC) sitting where it emerged that officers at Mutuini Hospital irregularly spent Sh309,734 meant for the purchase of emergency drugs at the facility.
It was revealed that the officers diverted the money meant for purchase of crucial and emergency drugs for the facility to buy cooking gas cylinders and charcoal.
Interestingly, the 13 kilogram cylinders were bought at different prices even though they were of the same quantity.
One cylinder was priced at Sh10,800, another at 2,800 and the third one at 2,300. In the market, an empty 13kg cylinder retails at between Sh4,000 and Sh5,000 while filling one costs between Sh2,000 and Sh2,300.
CASH SPENT
Kilimani MCA Moses Ogeto sought to know how cooking gas falls under the emergency drugs category.
Nominated MCA Silvia Museiya and Karen MCA David Mberia wanted to know where the balance of more than Sh300,000 went to as the cash spent on cooking gas amounted to only Sh20,500.
“What we have received today are only vouchers of the purchase of cooking gas. Do you mean all this money was only used to purchase cooking gas?” posed Mr Mberia.
Health Services chief officer Dr Washington Makodingo told the committee that the cooking gas was used for maternity procedures at the health facility.
However, he was unable to explain the remaining expenditure amounting to more than Sh300,000 and requested to be given more time to table evidence before the committee.
SUMMONED
“The facility offers maternity services which means they even do sterilization and that requires the use of cooking gas cylinders. However, give us more time to reconcile our records and appear before the committee on Monday as the annextures we have provided are not clear,” said Dr Makodingo.
The watchdog committee, chaired by Mabatini MCA Wilfred Odalo had summoned the chief officer and officials from Mutuini Hospital over the irregular expenditure.
This was after the Auditor General Edward Ouko raised queries over the expenditure by the hospital’s officers.
The report stated that the hospital had collected revenue amounting to Sh3.4 million but only Sh3.1 million was banked, spending Sh309,734 was spent at source.
The officers will appear before the committee again next week to provide adequate documentary evidence on the flagged expenditure.
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