Almost two years after the deadly Covid-19 pandemic, county governments are still struggling to account for how they spent hundreds of millions of shillings meant for combating effects of the virus.

In Kitui, for instance, investigations by the Senate committee on Health as well as the County Assembly ad hoc committee on Covid-19 management and prevention that were carried out in 2020, have revealed that rogue county government officers might have used their strategic positions to benefit from the funds, much to the disadvantage of the residents.

Details captured in both reports seen by People Daily indicate that most of the Sh500 million allocated for intervention measures against the pandemic were not utilised for the intended objective. The reports reveal an intricate web of procurement anomalies that was characterised by lack of documentation.

Additionally, the reports have revealed how the funds that were meant to be utilised by the county department of health were diverted to four other departments and where activities that were not in line with Covid-19 were undertaken, such as procurement of mango juice and tomato paste production equipment that gobbled up Sh22 million.

Out of the pandemic funds received in the county, the department of health received a total of Sh266 million while the department of education, ICT and youth development received the second biggest allocation of Sh62 million.

The third largest beneficiary was the department of trade, cooperatives and investment (Sh55 million( while the department of agriculture, water and irrigation got Sh45 million.

However, it is the questionable expenditure of the funds that raised eyebrows with both the Senate and the County Assembly committees, who unanymously agreed the funds were misused.

While recommending that action be taken against the then county executives (county ministers) in charge of health and finance as well as the chief officer for finance, the Senate committee chaired by Michael Mbito observed that the county did not have a consolidated approved work plan and procurement plan on how to carry out the Covid-19 intervention activities.