The State Department of Correctional Services is on the spot for the irregular leasing of a residential house to the immediate former Commissioner General of Prisons.
- •The department entered into a tenancy agreement with a service provider to lease a residential house at a monthly rent of Ksh250,000, totalling KShs. 3 million for the 2023/24 financial year.
- •According to the Auditor-General, the move did not follow procedure, and led to the state department offering the Commissioner General a higher housing benefit above the KSh 100, 000 per month on his letter of appointment.
- •The audit also disclosed KSh 5.25billion in pending bills, unfinished projects, as well as weak controls in the management of medical drugs in prisons facilities, and the procurement of firewood.
“However, the Commissioner General’s letter of appointment did not indicate that his terms of employment included provision of a leased residential house and therefore the basis for the leasing of the house was not clear,” notes the auditor-general in 2023/24 Financial Year Report.
“Further, the commissioner general of prisons was entitled to a house allowance of Ksh 100,000 per month and therefor a provision of a leased residential facility at a cost of Ksh 250,000 per month accorded the officer a higher benefit than his entitlement.” The audit points out that the higher benefit should have been processed by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission.
The auditor also faulted prisons management for not providing evidence to confirm registration of the lease with the state department of Housing and Urban Development. The department has also been cited for paying 2, 535 employees net salaries lower than a third of their basic salary.
A review of the department’s records also shows weak controls in the management of medical drugs. Once prescriptions are issued by a medical officer, the drugs were collected by orderlies who then issued them to inmates. The orderlies did not sign the issue book to confirm collection, and there was no acknowledgement by the inmates that they had received them.
The Auditor-General also pointed to issues with the procurement of firewood, where the receipt, recording and issuing was done in tonnage. The firewood was usually not fully dried, leading to a significant decrease in weight overtime due to loss of moisture. The department also relies on weigh bridge certificates and not its own weighing scales, which creates a loophole for suppliers.
