8 July 2009
Nairobi — A top State House official has been suspended over the purchase of new luxury vehicles.
Sources said Mr J.K. Mutua, the chief financial officer, was sent home for an unspecified period after President Kibaki and First Lady Lucy Kibaki rejected the vehicles on grounds that they were bought without their authority.
It was said that Mr Mutua, in the absence of a substantive State House comptroller, authorised the purchase of the four Mercedes Benz limousines, three Toyota Prados and one Nissan Hardbody last month before the accounts of the last financial year were closed.
Normally, State House spending is authorised by the comptroller, who is the chief accounting officer.
However, President Kibaki is yet to appoint an officer to hold the office since Mr Hyslop Ipu was relieved of his duties last year.
On Tuesday, the Presidential Press Services (PPS) said in a statement that the vehicles were returned to dealers DT Dobie and Toyota Kenya in support of the austerity measures announced by Finance minister Uhuru Kenyatta in his Budget speech last month.
The suspension of Mr Mutua came as the fate of the rejected vehicles assumed a new twist with one of the dealers only offering to sell the cars on behalf of the government.
A source at Toyota Kenya said the purchase of the cars by State House was a done deal and they were only taking back the cars for sale as Ex-GK. This means they will be sold as used cars.
Meanwhile, a financial watchdog says that the rejection of the cars "means nothing" as State House still has 149 vehicles in Nairobi alone.
Although it welcomed the move, Mars Group Kenya said that State House also had Sh70 million set aside for purchase of cars this year.
The group further said Sh3.3 billion had been set aside for purchase of government vehicles this financial year.
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