Auditor: Uhuru's Jubilee can't account for Sh600 million

The Auditor General has revealed that retired President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Jubilee Party could not account for the expenditure of about Sh600 million.

In the audit report for the 2021-2022 financial year, Nancy Gathungu also revealed that the party collected Sh248.7 million as donations from the public.

The report covers the 2022 general elections campaign period in which Jubilee did not field a presidential candidate but backed Azimio La Umoja leader Raila Odinga.

The reports show that the party received Sh149,087,202 from nomination fees, Sh96,732,000 from members’ subscriptions and Sh2,964,886 as miscellaneous income.    

“The management did not provide the list of its party members with respect to the amount contributed during the year. In the circumstances the accuracy and completeness on revenue from the public could not be confirmed,” the Auditor General's report says.

Gathungu flagged a Sh212,284,564 expenditure on campaigns and elections.

The auditor general said Jubilee party was unable to account for Sh152,248,000 paid to suppliers of campaign materials.

She revealed that the payments were not supported with bid documents and duly executed contracts.

There were also payments on grassroots and field programme expenses totalling Sh216,411,704.

This money included Sh176,411,704 paid to a supplier for campaign materials that were not supported by bid documents.

“In addition, payment vouchers amounting to Sh101,268,376 were not provided for audit… In the circumstances, the accuracy and completeness of the expenditure of Sh212,284,564 on campaigns and elections by Jubilee party for the financial year ended June 2022, could not be confirmed,” the report says.

The Auditor General further raised concern over the party’s unsupported office rental expenses which amounted to Sh96,069,510.

In February, Jubilee changed its headquarters from Pangani on Thika Road to Kileleshwa, off Mandera Road.

A year prior, however, the building housing the party’s headquarters at Pangani was put up for auction over Sh435 million rent arrears.

The audit report goes on to point out an unsupported expense of Sh86,129,500 on advertisement.

The embattled party was also faulted for unaccounted payment and meetings expenses amounting to Sh1,886,003.

The auditor also revealed that the party’s financial statements reflected a cash equivalents balance of Sh281,812,535 but the same was not void of anomalies such as the unconfirmed bank balances.

According to the report, Sh10,082,059 is held in three bank accounts inherited from the defunct The National Alliance(TNA) and the United Republican Parties(URP).

A further review of the bank balances revealed that another 8 bank accounts with balances totaling Sh5,470,868 have been dormant and no explanation was provided as to why the accounts were not operational.

The National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee is seized of the report and will be summoning the party officials for grilling.

The party is embroiled in leadership wrangles pitting a faction led by Uhuru and another one under former Kieni MP Kanini Kega.

The High Court last week suspended a parties tribunal ruling that endorsed parties changes that had seen Uhuru's allies including embattled Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni ousted.

The camp under Kioni had also kicked out Uhuru as party leader and replaced him with nominated MP Sabina Chege.