Busia Governor Paul Otuoma was on Tuesday put to task by the Senate’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) over alleged financial mismanagement and failure to account for billions in shareable revenue allocated to the county.
Appearing before the committee during the Senate Mashinani sitting hosted in Busia, Otuoma faced tough questions from senators on why the county continues to fall short of its own-source revenue potential despite the existence of multiple revenue streams.
The governor also came under scrutiny over a controversial consultancy tender worth KSh4.9 million for the proposed upgrade of Busia Level Four Hospital, which was linked to a fake email account allegedly operated by the county for a year.
Additionally, the committee flagged unsupported travel expenses amounting to KSh35 million. Senators directed that the money be recovered from culpable officers within 60 days, failure to which the matter would be referred to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).
Governor Otuoma defended his administration, insisting that measures were being taken to strengthen accountability and efficiency in the management of public resources.
The grilling formed part of the Senate Mashinani initiative, which seeks to bring legislative business closer to the people. Busia became the fourth county to host the sessions after previous sittings in other regions.
Senate Speaker Amason Kingi, who presided over the opening, urged county assemblies to enhance their oversight role and assured Busia MCAs of the Senate’s support in legislative research and governance.