The Standard ­ Monday
Date: 17.11.2014
Page 4
Article size: 483 cm2
ColumnCM: 107.33
AVE: 257599.99
Botched cost­saving measure that
left 55 luxury cars rotting in yard
PAC warns taxpayer
will suffer huge losses
as out of 117 vehicles
surrendered after
Uhurus order in 2009,
only 31 were sold off
By ALPHONCE SHIUNDU
AND FAITH RONOH
The irony of the 2009 fiscal deci­
The taxpayer would, in the cir­ to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to re­
sion, which required top State officials cumstances, not get a fair market place the ageing Protocol fleet used by
to get rid of high­end fuel­guzzling price for the vehicles," reads the com­ State guests," the report seen by The
vehicles in exchange for low engine
mittee's concern in a draft version of Standard noted.
capacity cars, has been exposed in the PAC report, whose final edition is
The MPs are impatient with the
the latest report of a parliamentary scheduled for tabling in the Nation­ National Treasury's failure to sell the
watchdog committee.
al Assembly.
55 remaining vehicles and they now
The Public Accounts Committee
want them sold, even at a throw­away
PUBLIC RELATIONS
(PAC) looked at the whole process of
selling the vehicles, and it has now
Auditors were angry with the situ­ price, so that they stop reflecting in
emerged that 55 top­of­the­range ve­ ation and they told the committee so Government books as an open query.
The Treasury has been pushing the
hicles ­ nearly half of all vehicles sur­ in their brief contained in the report.
rendered ­ are rotting in the official
"The vehicles continue to depre­ Transiiion Authority "to allow the sale
Government garage managed by the ciate technologically, physically and process to proceed to forestall further
Chief Mechanical and Transport Engi­ in value while the Government con­ decay ofthe vehicles", but so far, it has
neer in Industrial Area, Nairobi.
The sale of the vehicles has been
hampered by red­tape, because Ken­
ya Revenue Authority delayed in
working out the tax thai buyers had
to pay.
In'addition, thei'ransitinn Author­
tinues to incur security, storage and been ignored.
This is one ofthe many projects of
maintenance costs, which could oth­
erwise have been avoided.
the Jubilee administration that have
Further, the failure to dispose the delayed as it works out a new struc­
boarded vehicles as intended denies
the Government much­needed rev­
ture of Government.,
According to details in the com­
enue," the Auditor General told the mittee report, Treasury Principal Sec­
ity­ the department working out how committee as it compiled its report retary Kamau Thugge was optimistic
that he would execute the sale and
the vehicles will fit in die new Govern­
last month in Mombasa.
ment dispensation ­ slopped die sale.
The statistics in the report show dispose of the vehicles.
"Should a positive response be re­
that the return of vehicles, though a
DEPRECIATED GREATLY
brilliant public relations manouvre to ceived, die ministry will apply existing
From the Auditor General's report show that the State was keen to curb procurement regulations and guide­
for the 2010­20J J financial year, the Government wastage and extrava­ lines including provisions ofthe Pub­
lic Procurement and Disposal Act
year when Uhuru Kenyatta, the cur­ gance, had failed to raise money.
rent President served as Finance Min­
ister, the PAL deduces that the taxpay­
PROTOCOL FLEET
Of the 117 vehicles surrendered,
2005, which provide alternative dis­
posal mediods," said Thugge in his
brief to the committee, which is at­
er will lose immensely because the only 31 were sold in an auction, net­ tached to the report.
vehicles have depreciated greatly in liug Shfi0.3 million. The Government
The House committee has giv­
the five years that they have been in picked 13 vehicles and said they en Treasury until the last day of this
the yard.
would be used to ferry foreign digini­ year, December 31,2014, to file a sta­
"The disposal of the vehicles has
tus report with the National Assembly.
taries, whenever they visited.
taken too long in consequence of
which the vehicles had depreciated
in value.
"The 13 vehicles were transferred
The House is scheduled to go on
recess on December 5, but will now
have to wait.
Ipsos Kenya ­ Acorn House,97 James Gichuru Road ­ Lavington ­ Nairobi ­ Kenya
The Standard ­ Monday
Date: 17.11.2014
Page 4
Article size: 483 cm2
ColumnCM: 107.33
AVE: 257599.99
State vehicles: PAC says that 55 top­of the­range vehicles are rotting in the
Government garage in Industrial Area, Nairobi. [PHOTO: FILE/STANDARD]
SHOCKING WASTE OF
PUBLIC FUNDS
• Out of the 117 vehicles surren­
dered, only 31 were sold in an
auction, netting Sh60.3 million.
The Government picked 13 ve­
hicles and said they would be
used to ferry foreign diginitar­
ies whenever they visited
• The sale of the vehicles has
been hampered by Govern­
ment red­tape because Kenya
Revenue Authority delayed in
working out the tax that buyers
should pay
¦ MPs now want the 55 remain­
ing vehicles to be sold, even at
a throw­away price
Ipsos Kenya ­ Acorn House,97 James Gichuru Road ­ Lavington ­ Nairobi ­ Kenya