The Public Investments Committee on Social Services, Administration and Agriculture met the Principal Secretary in the State Department for Culture and Heritage Ms. Ummi Bashir and the Chief Executive Officer of the National Heroes Council Mr. Charles Wambia who apprised the Committee on the status and operationalization of the National Heroes Council (NHC) as well as that of the Kenya National Commission on Culture and Social Services KNCCSS).

Members asked PS Bashir to furnish the Committee with the financial statements of the NHC whose expenditures had been subjected to audit review together with the books of the Ministry. 

"Madam PS, between 2014 when the Act establishing the Council came into place until when it was functional, how did you spend the resources you had considering you had a Board to oversee the Council?", the Committee chairperson Hon. Emmanuel Wangwe asked. 

In her response, PS Ummi could, however, not clearly tell the Committee how her State Department under the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Heritage had spent monies allocated to them. Further she could not explain why the budget meant for the Heroes Council, an independent Agency of the Government, had been audited together with the budget for the State Department. 

The PS assured the Committee that she will move with speed to ensure the Council commences its independent operations. In addition, she undertook to sort any challenges that had barred the State Department from aligning the operations of the Council with the Act.