Lawmakers have demanded that Kenya Power recover Sh274 million that was paid to a consultant hired to supervise the last-mile electricity connection project, following revelations by the Auditor General that there was no proof the firm carried out the work.

The money was paid during the administration of former president Uhuru Kenyatta, but according to a report by Auditor General Nancy Gathungu for the financial year ending June 30, 2021, there is no evidence that the consultant or its personnel were present at the project sites as required.

“There was no evidence of the consultant’s personnel’s presence at those sites, raising doubt on whether they had been deployed as per the contract,” the audit read.

The report also noted that key supporting documents such as attendance records and meeting minutes were missing, making it difficult to confirm whether the consultant actually took part in the project implementation.

During a session with the Public Investments Committee on Energy, chaired by Pokot South MP David Pkosing, lawmakers questioned the rationale behind paying such a large amount without adequate proof of work done.

Pkosing directed Kenya Power to submit a full list of consultants engaged, along with inspection reports or site visit logs to verify their involvement. He expressed doubt that all consultants could have been unavailable, stating, “It cannot be that they were all unavailable. We are talking about Sh274 million paid to people who may not have done the work.”

“I am not convinced that they can all be away,” he added while reviewing audit queries raised against the power company for various financial years.

He further ordered Kenya Power to produce the necessary documentation or risk having those involved surcharged for the questionable payments.

Kenya Power’s managing director Joseph Siror defended the process, stating that the supervision model used was milestone-based, meaning the consultants were only required to inspect completed phases and not be present full-time.

“The consultant supervises multiple sites per lot, which cuts across several counties,” Siror told the committee.

He explained that at the time of the audit, the consulting firm was overseeing other active sites, while the audit team had been attached to KPLC engineers.

Still, auditors from the Office of the Auditor General disagreed with this explanation, pointing out that even milestone-based supervision should be backed by proper documentation to confirm presence and participation.

“The available minutes tell whether the consultant personnel were present at those sites. Minutes help us get the details,” an OAG officer said.

Kenya Power insisted that the consultant was a single firm responsible for deploying monitoring personnel and that all inspections had been carried out.