Nairobi — Finance minister Uhuru Kenyatta has been summoned to explain the purchase of 130 Volkswagen Passats to replace fuel guzzlers.

Parliamentary Accounts Committee chairman Boni Khalwale said the Finance ministry officials had been issued with the notice to appear before the oversight team at 2.30 pm on Monday.

He said "Parliament was totally in the dark" over the purchase of the cars as the Finance ministry had not sought approval of MPs to buy the Passats to replace top-of-the-range vehicles.

"MPs are strangers to the deal since we did not authorise the use of the Consolidated Fund to buy the vehicles intended for saving," said Dr Khalwale.

Raise the alarm

Under the provisions of Section 100, the Finance minister presents annual estimates to Parliament for approval but does not the power to purchase vehicles on behalf of the ministries, said the MP.

Dr Khalwale said Treasury removed the budget line for vehicles from the ministry votes and took it upon itself to buy the vehicles on behalf of the ministries. The Finance minister has also been accused of buying the cars from a single supplier.

Mr Kenyatta, who announced the measures in the Budget read in June, is expected to explain the removal of the vote from individual ministries, purchase of the vehicles without MPs' approval and single-sourcing.

Dr Khalwale was among the first MPs to raise the alarm on the Passats deal and was soon followed by Immigration minister Otieno Kajwang and Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi, who questioned the basis of buying the new cars.

The new Passats cost Sh3.7 million each, meaning at least Sh390 million was spent. The total costs would include shipping from Germany and driving from the port to the Roads ministry's yard in Nairobi.