Senate Committee Puts Bomet Governor Barchok on the Spot Over Audit Queries

 Hilary Barchok on Monday appeared before the Senate County Public Investments and Special Funds Committee to respond to a series of audit queries for the 2024/2025 financial year, as lawmakers raised concerns over financial management in the county.

The session, chaired by William Kisang, scrutinized several county-managed funds, including bursary allocations, the Education Revolving Fund, and the Climate Change Fund. Most of the entities under review had received qualified audit opinions, signaling inconsistencies in financial reporting.

Senators pressed the county leadership to improve accountability, with Kisang stressing the importance of resolving audit issues at an early stage.

“Management should ensure that all financial statement errors are corrected at the time of audit,” he said.

George Mbugua also questioned why the issues had escalated to the Senate level, noting that such matters should have been addressed during audit exit meetings.

Among the key concerns raised was an unsupported bank balance of KSh 4.3 million under the Education Revolving Fund. In his response, Governor Barchok explained that the account is managed in collaboration with the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB).

“The bank account is under the control of HELB. While the county disburses funds, the board handles administration,” Barchok told the committee.

The committee also flagged a 62 percent underfunding of the Climate Change Fund. The governor attributed the shortfall to delays in the passage of the County Additional Allocation Act, which affected timely disbursement of donor funds.

A particularly contentious issue was an irregular internal borrowing of KSh 5.05 million from the Car Loan Scheme to the County Executive. Senators questioned the legality and sustainability of such practices.

While Barchok defended the move as a temporary measure to address cash flow challenges, Agnes Kavindu warned that recurring financial lapses would not be tolerated.

“This is something we are going to be very tough on because it keeps recurring,” she said.

In his closing remarks, Governor Barchok assured the committee that corrective measures are already underway. He pledged to recover the borrowed funds by June 2026 and to restate financial records to address audit discrepancies in the next reporting cycle.

The Senate committee is expected to compile its findings and recommendations, which could inform further oversight actions on the county’s financial management practices.