The County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC) of the Senate has questioned a Sh90 million expenditure by Bomet County to facilitate public participation during the 2019/20 financial year.

In her report, Auditor General Nancy Gathungu said that the County breached the law when it spent the money on activities funded through imprests issued to various officers.

The Auditor General says this was contrary to Public Finance Management (County Governments) Regulations, 2015.

In his defence, when he appeared before the Committee, chaired by Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang, governor Barchok defended the expenditure arguing that it had been used to but food and pay transport for members of the public who attended budget making forums in all the 25 wards of the County.

Further, the Audit revealed that the money was paid outside the Integrated financial Management Information System (Ifmis).

"When you organise such engagement forums, you never know who will attend," the Governor told the committee when he appeared on Monday.

He said that the funds are usually processed as Authority to Incur Expenditure (AIE) and the authorised officers made to account in the way provided for in the law.

Apart from reimbursing those who attend the forums, the money is also used to hire tents, the public address system, and pay the facilitators.

However, members of the Committee took issue with the expenditure warning the Governor that he has no authority to incur such an expenditure.

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna questioned the expenditure for lack of documentation. 

The County did not provide receipts to prove payments to service providers of the transport or even tents.

He wondered whether a forum organised in such manner was qualitative, expressing fear that it could merely be a theater to rubberstamp the Governor views. 

"Show us a document showing that people signed to receive the money," Senator Sifuna explored, challenging the Governor to provide a breakdown of the payment.

Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah described the payment as illegal as it was not provided for under the law.