Only 14 pending bill appeals in Murang’a found tenable for payment

Murang’a,

Thursday, September 7, 2023

KNA by Bernard Munyao

A committee that was formed by Murang’a county government to verify ineligible pending bills appeals has found 48 claims untenable.

The Ineligible Pending Bills Resolution Committee chaired by Edwin Kimuyu on September 6 released its report rejecting the pending bill claims due to lack of sufficient documents to prove the veracity of the claims.

The report indicated that the mandatory documents missing in the appeals include Local Purchase Orders (LPOs), contract tender notice, evaluation committee minutes, inspection report and certificate of completion among others.

The committee advised the aggrieved parties to seek court redress or consult Kenya National Audit Office.

Members of the committee after verification of the appeals, however found 14 claims successful and directed the devolved unit to start paying them in a staggered manner from January, 2024.

In its report, the committee stated that 65 claims need to be verified further by the county procurement department with claimants directed to consult the procurement department from November this year.

A section of contractors and suppliers made appeals to the county government after the county pending bills verification committee that was scrutinizing pending bills of the previous county administration cleared 171 bills out of 514 for payment.

The pending bills verification committee that worked between September and November 2022, gave the county administration led by Governor Irungu Kang’ata a nod to clear bills amounting to more than Sh. 642 million.

The committee indicated that about Sh.400 million pending bills regarding the Murang'a Milk Factory will be processed by Murang’a Farmers Milk aggregators known as Murang’a Creameries Cooperative Union (MCCU).

The county executive resolved to transfer the factory liabilities and assets to MCCU, a process which will take 60 days.

The previous county regime established the milk factory located in Maragua in 2017 with intention to do value addition and ensure local dairy farmers get better returns.

But since 2019, the factory accumulated losses occasioned by unpaid milk transporters, farmers’ milk and suppliers debts.

In August this year, Kang’ata’s administration as a way of reviving the factory that was closed before last’s general elections resolved to transfer the factory to MCCU.

Courtesy; KNA