Pressure is mounting on Cecily Mbarire after the Embu County Assembly passed a tough motion demanding the recovery of millions of shillings flagged in a troubling audit report.
The decision follows findings that expose serious gaps in financial control within the county government.
As per the reports by Citizen Digital, Members of the County Assembly unanimously adopted a report by the Public Accounts Committee which revealed that Ksh 10.1 million was irregularly withdrawn from the County Industrial Aggregation Park (CAIP) account.
According to the report, a total of Ksh 10,167,300 was taken from a Special Purpose Account without proper approval, documentation, or any clear record of how the money was used.
The funds have not been returned, and there is no evidence to justify the withdrawals.
In a motion presented by Deputy Speaker Ibrahim Swaleh, the Assembly directed the County Executive Committee Member for Finance, Prof. Joe Kamaria, to ensure that the full amount is recovered within 90 days.
He is also required to present proof of recovery to the Assembly. If he fails to do so, he risks being personally surcharged in line with Article 226(5) of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010.The committee made it clear that the spending had no legal basis.
It found that there was no budget provision for the withdrawals and that the expenditure was never regularised as required under Section 149(1) of the Public Finance Management Act.
This effectively makes the transaction unlawful. The Assembly also dismissed any attempt to treat the amount as a pending bill.
Beyond the Ksh 10.1 million, the Assembly has also ordered the recovery of Ksh 21.7 million in outstanding imprests within 30 days.
These funds, issued between July 2023 and June 2025, were neither surrendered nor accounted for, going against financial regulations that require officers to account for imprests within seven working days after completing official duties.
The report further exposed a worrying trend where some county officers held multiple imprests at the same time without clearing previous ones, a clear violation of Regulation 93(4)(b) of the Public Finance Management Regulations, 2015.
More concerns were raised about the CAIP project itself, which is valued at Ksh 500 million. The Assembly directed the Finance department to reconstruct and reconcile all related documents and submit them for audit.
Failure to do so could lead to personal liability under the Public Audit Act, 2015.
Audit findings also showed inconsistencies in financial records. While the Embu County Revenue Fund recorded receipts of Ksh 186 million from the CAIP account, bank statements indicated withdrawals and transfers exceeding Ksh 219.5 million during the same period.
Key documents such as tender records, payment vouchers, and project files were missing.
County officials claimed that the documents were destroyed in a fire during the 2024 Gen Z protests in Embu Town. However, the committee noted that no evidence was provided to support this claim or to show efforts to rebuild the lost records.
These findings place Governor Cecily Mbarire’s administration under sharp focus, as the Assembly pushes for firm action to recover public funds and restore accountability.
The resolutions signal a clear warning that weak financial management will not be tolerated, and that those responsible could face direct consequences.
