NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 27 – A meeting between the Nairobi City Council and Parliamentary Committee on Local Authorities aborted after the MPs demanded to meet Town Clerk Phillip Kisia.
Committee Chairman Thomas Mwadeghu told a news conference on Monday that the parliamentarians declined to meet a team composed of the City Treasurer and Deputy Town Clerk because they felt that Mr Kisia was best placed to answer their questions.
The Wundanyi MP warned that the council had one more chance to appear before them after which they would contemplate invoking parliamentary summons.
“This committee will not stomach any nonsense in as far as the local authorities are concerned. The members of the public have a right to know what has been happening in their local authorities,” Mr Mwadeghu said.
Ainamoi MP Benjamin Kimutai who is the committee’s Vice chairman said they wanted the town clerk to explain some irregularities in the council’s audited accounts.
He said millions of shillings could have gone missing due to poor accounting methods by most local authorities.
“We are not going to accept impunity within the local authorities, and if the City Council of Nairobi wants to be exempted from the law in terms of accounting then as a committee we are not going to accept,” Mr Kimutai said.
“There has been no audit of most local authorities. We want (the council’s) audited as per the Public Audit Act requires,” said Mr Kimutai.
The committee will be meeting accounting officers from Thika Town Council on Tuesday.
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