The National Assembly's Public Investments Committee on Governance and Education chaired by Hon. Jack Wamboka (Bumula) has urged the House to adopt its Report on its consideration of the Auditor-General on the Financial Statements of State Corporations (Regulatory and Governance Agencies) for the Financial Years 2018/2019, 2019/2020 and 2020/2021.

According to the Report, the Committee noted that due to lack of exposure to the audit process a number of Accounting Officers were non-compliant with various provisions of the law.

The Committee also observed that some Accounting Officers failed to submit supporting documentation to the Auditor-General on time.

Thirdly, the Committee encountered cases where construction projects in some State Corporations took long to complete, leading to escalating costs through accrued interest and prolongation costs.

"A good example of this is the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC). The New Mtihani House whose construction is still ongoing,  has taken 37 years," said Hon. Wamboka. 

The Committee raised concerns that most public universities have negative working capital. It was observed that the Government has been disbursing funds to universities in block figures that are not based on student numbers or any viable indicator. The Committee requested for a special audit of funds disbursed to private universities to cater for Government sponsored students.

In the Report, the Committee recommends that the National Treasury and the Office of the Auditor-General conduct an annual sensitization and capacity building exercise to all Accounting and Finance Officers, Accounting Officers be provide supportive documents on time and that the National Treasury not to approve projects that it can not guarantee funding and completion.