EACC Targets County Executives Over Accounting Standards
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has identified 10 cross-cutting irregularities by the 47 county executives in a report dated September 7, submitted to the Senate County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC). The anti-graft body found that the county executives failed to apply proper accounting practices as stipulated by the Public Sector Accounting Standards Board. This includes delays in submitting documents to auditors during audits, resulting in entities being unable to support expenditures of substantial funds.
The report also highlighted payments made outside the Integrated Financial Management Information Systems (IFMIS) platform and abuse of the imprest process; weak internal control systems in managing own-source revenue, such as failure to bank revenue collected on time; and payments made to the Council of Governors from County Revenue Funds, which contradict the Intergovernmental Relations Act. Other issues include frequent voidance of transactions without justification, resulting in pending bills; stalled capital-intensive projects that lack multi-year funding; inadequate internal audit controls; and unmaintained asset registers.
EACC further identified salary payments outside the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Database (IPPD), raising suspicions of ghost workers, irregular procurement of goods and services compromising value for money, and outsourcing expensive legal services despite established County Attorney offices. “The payments of salaries outside the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Database (IPPD) system creates suspicion of the presence of ghost workers,” the EACC said.
These investigations were launched after the Senate reviewed Auditor General reports for the Financial Year 2023/2024 and directed the County Public Accounts Committee to inquire into the raised issues to ensure they are adequately addressed. The Committee subsequently identified matters for action by various agencies, including the EACC.
RIVALRY | Kiambu Governor Wamatangi sidelined and blocked from addressing mourners as burial ceremony turned into a stage for simmering political feud
The funeral of Mzee Isaac Ichung’wa, father to National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wa, turned into a stage for Kiambu’s simmering political feud after Governor Kimani Wamatangi was conspicuously sidelined and even blocked from addressing mourners. From the outset, the protocol arrangements hinted at an organised snub. The governor’s designated seat—initially placed near President William Ruto and Deputy President Kithure Kindiki—was stripped of its reserved tag at the last minute. By the time the service began, Wamatangi found himself relegated to a position 16 seats away from the Head of State, a placement that shocked many observers familiar with the usual courtesies accorded to host governors.
Adding to the humiliation, it was Embu Governor Cecily Mbarire, and not Wamatangi, who read out the Council of Governors’ message of condolence. “Allow me to recognise some of the governors here: my sister, Governor Susan Kihika of Nakuru, Governor Johnson Sakaja of Nairobi, and then the governor of the county we are in, Governor Kimani Wamatangi,” Mbarire said briefly, prompting a forced wave from the Kiambu leader. Traditionally, the host governor would have acknowledged colleagues and addressed the gathering.
The funeral drew a high-profile crowd that included President Ruto, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, Senate Speaker Amason Kingi, four governors, and more than 100 MPs. Yet, despite the stature of the occasion, the political undercurrents between Ichung’wa and Wamatangi were impossible to ignore.
“People had hidden from the public about the existence of a 100-acre parcel, and others were already eyeing part of the additional 695 acres surrendered by Del Monte. I stood firm that both parcels would be safeguarded for public use,” Wamatangi said earlier this year.
Kimani Wamatangi,
Kiambu County governor.
PHOTO | COURTESY | TRBN |
For the happiest life, days should be rigorously planned, nights left open to chance pennews wordpress theme
Long-standing Rivalry
Tension between the Kikuyu MP and the Kiambu governor is not new. The pair have openly clashed since 2022, when Wamatangi resisted pressure from a group of MPs allied to Ichung’wa to share county resources and lucrative tenders. The governor has since accused them of scheming to grab land, particularly parcels ceded by fruit processor Del Monte.
Standing firm
“People had hidden from the public about the existence of a 100-acre parcel, and others were already eyeing part of the additional 695 acres surrendered by Del Monte. I stood firm that both parcels would be safeguarded for public use,” Wamatangi said earlier this year, noting that 325 acres were eventually gazetted for the Export Processing Zone (EPZ). The fallout deepened when the governor resisted what he described as an “unholy alliance” of politicians seeking to enrich themselves. “Some leaders thought I would collude with them in looting county coffers. When I refused, they turned their attacks on me,” he said.
A pattern of undermining
Ichung’wa and his allies—including MPs Alice Ng’ang’a (Thika), John Kiragu (Limuru), Njuguna Kawanjiku (Kiambaa), G.G. Kagombe (Gatundu South), Mburu Kahangara (Lari), and Githua Wa Machukuru (Kabete)—have been accused of orchestrating a coordinated campaign to destabilise the governor.
Violence
The rivalry has even resulted in violence: during a heated rally in Makongeni, Thika, a man was shot dead, allegedly by Gatundu South MP Kagombe. At church functions and other public gatherings, the rivalry has played out theatrically. Ichung’wa has in the past delayed his entry into events until Wamatangi was invited to the podium, ensuring he positioned himself to welcome national leaders. County Assembly Majority Leader Godfrey Mucheke has accused the MP of routinely calling ward reps to issue “instructions” on how to frustrate the governor. Those who resisted, he said, were threatened with being denied UDA party tickets in the 2027 elections.
Analysts say the rift underscores deeper tensions in Kiambu politics, a county that has historically been a battleground in Mount Kenya’s succession politics. Wamatangi, elected governor in 2022 on a UDA ticket, is perceived as an outsider to the tightly-knit political networks of local MPs, while Ichung’wa has leveraged his closeness to President Ruto to expand his influence both in Kiambu and nationally.
