By MWINGI TIMES CORRESPONDENT 

The County Assembly of Embu has invited the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to investigate the irregular payment of KSh 3,000,000 to a company whose contract period had lapsed.

According to a Report of the Public Accounts Committee on Examination of the Report of the Auditor General on County Executive of Embu for Year ended 30th June 2025, but months later, the Embu County Government illegally paid JamboPay company for an extension of a contract for the supply, delivery, implementation, customization, and commissioning of a revenue collection and management automation system.

In a Motion moved by Deputy Speaker Ibrahim Swaleh, the Assembly has called upon the Anti-Graft Agency and DCI to take appropriate legal action on the officers involved if found culpable of breach of Section 139 (1) and (2A) of the Public Procurement and Asser Disposal Act, Cap 412 (c),

Swaleh who is also the MCA for Kirimari Ward observed that a review of records established that the contract expired on 6th April, 2023 but had not been extended. However, the management irregularly issued Local Purchase Orders. No. 66 and 76, approving the contract extension without a formal recommendation from the Tender Evaluation Committee. 

This was contrary to Section 139(1)(2) of the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act, 2015 which sets the contractual obligations to a contractor after a procurement process is completed. In the circumstances, County Executive was found to be in breach of the law.

Further records, as per the report, show that the County Government was already in the process of acquiring a new revenue system at a contract sum of KSh 37,120,000 and an amount of KSh 8,742,644 had already been incurred towards acquiring the new revenue system.

The Deputy Speaker also faulted the County Executive’s senior officers for perennially failing to submit documents to the Office of the Auditor General and later struggling to argue their cases before the Public Accounts and Public Investment committees, warning that the Assembly would not be turned into an auditing firm.

Swaleh further revealed that no evidence was provided to the Committee to demonstrate that issues raised by the Auditor General in previous Audit Reports had been addressed or resolved citing the County Government for indifference and lack of commitment to resolve audit queries.

The Report tasked the County Executive Committee (CEC) member for Finance and Economic Planning should ensure that all prior years’ audit matters are resolved and proof of the same submitted to the County Assembly within thirty (30) days failure to which he will be held personally liable in accordance with Section 53 of the Public Audit Act, 2015.

By MWINGI TIMES CORRESPONDENT 

The County Government of Embu has been ordered to recover KSh 10.1 million from the officer who unlawfully authorized the withdrawal from the County Industrial Aggregation Park (CAIP) account.

According to a report of the County Assembly Public Accounts Committee, the County Executive Committee (CEC) Member in Charge of Finance and Economic Planning Prof. Joe Kamaria is required to submit evidence of recovery of the funds to the legislature within 90 days, failure to which he will be surcharged the full amount Pursuant to Article 226(5) of the Constitution of Kenya 2010.

In a Motion moved by Deputy Speaker Ibrahim Swaleh (Kirimari MCA), the report that was unanimously adopted by the County Assembly observed that sum of KSh 10,167,300 borrowed from the Special Purpose Account was not refunded and that no supporting documents were provided to the Committee to demonstrate how the money was spent.

The Committee further noted that there was no budgetary provision for the expenditure, which was not regularized in accordance with Section 149(1) of the Public Finance Management. Act, Cap 412B, which requires that all public resources are used in a lawful, authorised, and accountable manner. The report declared that the amount cannot be classified as a pending bill.

Further, the report has demanded that the Head of Treasury should ensure that the outstanding imprest amounting to KSh 21.7 million is recovered within 30 days in accordance with the provisions of regulation 93 of the Public Finance (County Government) Reguldtions, and evidence of recovery submitted to the County Assembly.

This comes after the Office of the Auditor General’s review of the County Imprest Register revealed outstanding imprest of KSh 21,768,240 issued between July 2023 and June 2025 which had not been surrendered or accounted for, contrary to the law, which stipulates that a holder of a temporary imprest shall account for or surrender the Imprest within seven (7) working days after returning to the duty station.

In addition, the report found that some officers illegally held multiple imprests before the surrender of previous issues contrary to Regulation 93(4)(b) of the Public Finance Management County Governments) Regulations, 2015.

The CEC Member for Finance and Economic Planning is also required to reconcile and reconstruct all documents relating to the KSh 500 million County Industrial Aggregation Park and submit them to the Auditor General for audit review, failure to which he will be held liable under Section 53 of the Public Audit Act, 2015.

This followed the Auditor General’s flagging of unsupported payments in respect of the County Industrial Aggregation Park. The Embu County Revenue Fund financial statements reflected receipts KSh186 million from the CAIP Fund. Audit review of the CAIP Fund bank statements reflect payments and transfers of KSh 219,554,655 from the bank account during the year under review. 

However, tender documents, payment vouchers, project files, bid documents and financing agreement of the Embu CAIP were not provided for audit review. Management indicated that the tender documents been burnt during the 2024 Gen-Z demonstrations in Embu Town.

Consequently, procurement documents, including tender documents, project files and bid documents, were not availed to the Auditor General and also to the Committee. Additionally, no evidence was availed to the Committee to confirm that the documents were destroyed during the arson attack by demonstrators and no evidence was provided to demonstrate that management had made any attempt to reconstruct the burnt documents.

THE CAMPUS ECONOMY: ‘MJENGO’

Are Comrades Boycotting Classes or the Economy is Pushing them Out ?

By BRIAN KIBET 

Chuka University 2nd Year Media Student 

At sunrise in Chuka, students trickle into  lecture halls with notebooks tucked under their arms, exchanging sleepy greetings before lessons begin. A few streets away from the institutions’ gates, a minority group of ‘’comrades’ balance wheelbarrows of sand before grabbing a shovel to mix cement. As a good number climb scaffold, other’s hands are covered in dust as their backs bend under the weight of bricks. 

This is an emerging phenomenon across Kenyan campuses today; where students skip lectures to make quick cash from employers who demand long hours of physical labour. For most of them, the decision is survival rather than rebellion; a boycott against hunger if you will. 

The Price

Those from poor socioeconomic backgrounds often begin the dream of higher education with sacrifice. Their parents sell livestock, take loans or even combine family resources to raise tuition fees because the admission letter is a household victory. But once the degree journey kicks off, survival becomes less guaranteed. Rent, food, internet bundles, printing assignments, transport, and personal necessities quickly pile up. Within weeks, the small allowance most of them receive disappears.

Speaking to one Kevin, pursuing an Engineering career, he openly described how he occasionally works at nearby construction sites with quiet honesty. “Some times my parents manage to pay the fees,” he said. “But they cannot send money for everything else. If I don’t work, I don’t eat.”

Campus Life

University life carries social expectations that many students are unprepared for. Relationships, social status, and the desire to fit into the culture often come with financial costs. Most of them admit to feeling the pressure to pay for meals, transport, or small luxuries in their relationships. 

In some cases, these students find themselves supporting partners and even helping raise children. These burdens rarely appear in academic reports, but they shape how students spend their course period in school. 

The “Sherehe Economy”

Weekend parties, nightlife, and social gatherings promise an escape from academic stress at a cost. Most of my fellow young scholars fall into cycles of a drug habit that demand constant financial support at these events. To sustain these acquired tastes, they resort to ‘M​jengo’, a synonymous to hard labor. It pays immediately but at the cost of education during graduation,  where they barely pass as most of them drop out. For most of them, university is the first time they manage money independently. Few arrive equipped with the skills needed to budget, plan expenses and prioritize necessities. 

Practical Solutions

Today’s students have access to freelance writing, graphic design, coding, digital marketing, online tutoring, and content creation. With the right training and support, these platforms provide flexible income without forcing students to skip lectures. Nonetheless, the student president at KMTC Kilifi recently convinced the institution to install pool tables on campus, turning recreation into a sustainable revenue stream. The money generated now funds a welfare program that provides weekly meals to struggling nurses. Hence, this initiative shows that solutions only require creativity and empathy. Furthermore, most of our parents are ignorant to the broader financial demands of campus life. Therefore,  orientation programs and regular update will help them understand the true cost of student life and encourage closer follow-up on academic progress.

Dusty Dreams

The sight of a university student carrying bricks under the scorching sun is a story about dreams colliding with reality. Every student working at a ‘mjengo’ once walked into a lecture hall with hope of a degree, a career, and a future that would lift their families out of hardship. But when survival is uncertain, even the strongest dreams die. Still, beneath graveyards of these dreams at the construction sites, some of these intellectuals still believe in the power of education. The real question then becomes whether the school systems will enable them to remain in class long enough to wear the honorary hat.