Kenya’s Ministry of Sports Cannot Account for 1.7 Billion Shillings

The corrupt in Kenya continue to become bolder by the day, looting public resources with impunity and with no fear of the ‘consequences of the law.’

With the renewed fight against runaway corruption in the country by President Uhuru Kenyatta, another scandal from the Ministry of Sports has hit the headlines.

According to a report released by the Auditor General, the Ministry of Sports cannot account for a whopping 1.7 billion shillings.

The Ministry was given 3.5 billion shillings to prepare for the IAAF Under 18 World Youth Championships where a half of the money went to people’s personal pockets.

The scandal in the Ministry of Sports comes even as the case of the loss of close to 9 billion shillings at the National Youth Service (NYS) goes on.

According to the Auditor General, the 1.7 billion shillings were lost through single-sourcing, lack of documentation as well as supplies that were never delivered.

The scandal comes to the surface even as Kenya prepares to host the 2020 IAAF World Athletics Under 20 Championships with the government planning to pump in more money.

From the report, 66 million shillings was set aside for procurement of taxis with the taxi service provider Pewin Cabs receiving 23.8 million shillings, way above the market rate.

President Uhuru Kenyatta has renewed the fight against corruption with a number of high profile individuals being arrested and arraigned in court.

Some of the corruption scandals that have rocked the country in the recent months include the National Youth Service (NYS), the Ruaraka land scandal involving the National Land Commission and the Ministry of Education, corruption at Kenya Power and Lighting Company, corruption at the Ministry of Health among others.

The government has also started with the reclamation of all riparian land within Nairobi and other parts of the country, a move that has seen various buildings being demolished.