The Senate Public Accounts Committee, chaired by Homabay Senator Moses Kajwang, met today with Nairobi City Governor Johnson Sakaja and a team from State House led by State House Comptroller Kato Ole Metito to address the audit queries for the financial years 2017-2021. The State House team appeared before the committee to respond to the queries on behalf of the defunct Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS).

The Nairobi County government is under scrutiny as the Senate Public Accounts Committee has ordered a forensic audit to investigate the alleged embezzlement of a staggering Sh18 billion from the county's revenues over a three-year period. The audit was prompted by the shocking revelation made by the auditor general, who exposed widespread financial mismanagement and potential corruption within City Hall.

With the aim of getting to the bottom of this massive loss, the committee has directed the auditor general to conduct a special audit within the next three months. This move comes amid concerns over the alarming discrepancy between the revenues declared by the county government and the actual amounts collected. It is suspected that a well-coordinated scheme is behind this significant gap.

The situation has been exacerbated by the lack of access to the county's revenue system, which has left operations paralyzed and hindered responses to audit queries. Governor Sakaja has identified the individual holding exclusive administrative access to the system as Mr Simon Imbisi, a former officer of NMS. Shockingly, Imbisi has refused to surrender these access rights, further complicating the matter.

The Committee demanded answers from the State House comptroller as to why they have been unable to produce Mr Imbisi for questioning. The concentration of access rights in one individual has raised concerns among the committee members, who highlighted the potential risks associated with such an arrangement.

During the auditors' analysis, it was discovered that the county reportedly lost an astounding Sh18.46 billion over the course of three financial years. To verify these figures and uncover the truth behind the missing funds, access to the revenue system is crucial. However, both the county government and auditors have faced insurmountable challenges in accessing the system.

The State House comptroller attributed the delay in producing Mr Imbisi to difficulties in locating NMS officers. However, the Senate committee has accused him of lacking seriousness in resolving the matter promptly.

To mitigate further damage and restore transparency, the committee has demanded that Mr Imbisi grant access to the county government while no longer being associated with either the county or NMS. This, they believe, will be a crucial step in uncovering the truth behind the missing funds and holding accountable those responsible for the alleged mismanagement of public funds.