Parenting Without a Manual, Governing Without Accountability

 The pain we highlight here has never been about politicians.

It has always been about the ordinary mwananchi. The men and women who wake up before sunrise, sweat through the day, pay taxes, and keep this economy moving, hoping tomorrow will somehow be better than today.

The past few weeks have been painful for every Kenyan.

We have watched schools burn. We have seen children turn against institutions that are meant to shape them. Then came the heartbreaking tragedy at Utumishi Girls in Gilgil. Young lives cut short. Dreams buried before they even had a chance to grow.

No parent deserves that kind of pain.

Not the parents who lost their daughters.

And even for the parents of those responsible, no mother or father ever wishes to discover that the child they raised is capable of such destruction.

So who do we blame?

The parents?

The teachers?

Society?

Or have we all become spectators, waiting for someone else to fix what belongs to all of us?

Raising children has become one of the hardest assignments in this generation.

The funny thing is, there has never been a parenting handbook. Hakuna manual.

We simply do our best using what life taught us.

Some parents become too harsh, believing discipline alone builds character. Sometimes it does. Sometimes it only builds fear, anger, and rebellion.

Others become so protective that they unknowingly raise children who cannot handle disappointment, correction, or responsibility.

Yet you'll find two children raised under the same roof, facing the same struggles, and one becomes a blessing while the other becomes a burden.

So how do we raise good children?

Ask ten parents and you'll receive ten different answers.

Maybe none of us has the perfect formula.

Perhaps all we can do is keep teaching, keep correcting, keep loving, and above all, keep praying.

Because our children are not just our future.

They are Kenya's future.

Let us pray for them.

Let us pray for this country.

Now, allow me to shift gears.

This week I want us to look at something that affects every resident of Taita Taveta, whether you live in Wundanyi, Mwatate, Taveta or Voi.

The 2024/2025 County Audit Report.

Don't worry.

I'll keep it simple.

No accounting jargon.

Just what every taxpayer deserves to know.

And trust me...

This report is not light reading.

The Auditor-General issued what is called a Qualified Opinion.

In simple language, the county's financial statements could not be fully trusted because several important records were either missing, unsupported, or did not add up.

But it means there were enough unanswered questions to prevent the auditor from giving the county a clean bill of health.

Let's walk through some of those questions.

Where Is Ksh 197 Million?

The county reported holding Ksh 197.3 million in project cash.

Problem?

Some project cashbooks were never produced.

Some bank accounts were said to have been closed, yet there was no evidence.

Imagine someone tells you they have money in the bank but refuses to show you the statement.

Would you believe them?

Neither could the auditor.

Ksh 112 Million Worth of Projects... On Paper

The county reported Ksh 112.6 million in ongoing projects.

Unfortunately, project records did not match what auditors found on the ground.

Some projects remained incomplete.

Meaning what was reported and what existed were two different stories.

Bills Worth Ksh 2.2 Billion

This one should concern every taxpayer.

The county says it owes suppliers Ksh 2.226 billion.

Yet there was no proper breakdown showing:

• Who is owed.

• How much each supplier is owed.

• How long those debts have existed.

Imagine owing people billions but having no proper record.

That's not just poor bookkeeping.

That's dangerous financial management.

Water Transfers That Don't Match

The county says it transferred almost Ksh 497 million to water service entities.

Those same entities reported different figures.

Someone's books are wrong.

The auditor could not determine whose.

Fuel Without Proper Records

About Ksh 1.6 million was spent on fuel for hired vehicles.

Unfortunately, procurement records were missing.

Taxpayer money must always leave a paper trail.

Here, that trail disappeared.

Budget Performance

The county expected to collect Ksh 7.55 billion.

It only collected Ksh 6.08 billion.

That's a shortfall of almost Ksh 1.47 billion.

Even more worrying...

The county failed to spend about Ksh 197 million that it already had.

When money remains unused, development also remains undone.

Roads wait.

Hospitals wait.

Water projects wait.

The mwananchi keeps waiting.

Hospitals Didn't Receive All Their Money

Health facilities collected Ksh 72.17 million.

Only Ksh 54.14 million was returned.

Over Ksh 18 million remained outstanding because the money was deposited into county revenue accounts instead of dedicated hospital accounts as required by law.

That is money meant to improve healthcare.

Living Beyond Our Means

The law says:

Development spending should be at least 30%.

The county managed 29%.

The wage bill should not exceed 35%.

The county spent 46.53%.

County Assembly spending should not exceed 7%.

Actual spending reached 10%.

When salaries consume too much of the budget, less money remains for development.

Employees Paid... But Their Money Never Reached Where It Belonged

Money was deducted from workers.

But it was never remitted.

Outstanding deductions include:

HELB – Ksh 8.97 million

Pension – Ksh 44.42 million

SACCOs – Ksh 70.27 million

Total: Ksh 123.65 million.

Imagine checking your loan or pension only to discover deductions were made from your salary, but the money never arrived.

That is more than an accounting problem.

It affects people's lives.

Persons Living With Disabilities

The law requires at least 5% of county employees to be persons living with disabilities.

Out of 3,288 employees, only 11 met that category.

That's just 0.3%.

Clearly, there is still a long way to go.

Old Bills... Still Waiting

Some bills dating back to 2014 and 2015 remain unpaid.

Over Ksh 11 million is still outstanding.

Nearly a decade later.

Projects That Never Reached the Finish Line

Twenty-five projects worth Ksh 279 million had missing or incomplete documentation.

Auditors also inspected twelve projects worth Ksh 219 million.

The results?

Nine were incomplete.

Three had stalled completely.

As taxpayers, we don't celebrate projects launched with ribbons.

We celebrate projects completed and serving the people.

County Assets

Out of 349 county vehicles:

• 91 were faulty.

• 21 were completely grounded.

Some registration records were also missing.

Imagine running an entire county while not fully knowing the status of your own vehicles.

Technology and Governance

Perhaps the most surprising finding.

The county lacked:

• An ICT Committee.

• An ICT Strategic Plan.

• A Risk Management Policy.

• A Fraud Prevention Framework.

• A Disaster Recovery Plan.

These are not luxuries.

They are basic governance tools expected in a modern public institution.

So, What Does All This Mean?

As ordinary wananchi, we don't read audit reports for entertainment.

We read them because every figure represents our taxes.

Every stalled project represents a promise delayed.

Every missing document represents a question that deserves an answer.

This report doesn't say everything is broken.

But it does say too many things require fixing.

And that should concern every resident of Taita Taveta.

Our job is not to shout.

Our job is to understand.

To ask questions.

To demand accountability.

Because government money is not government money.

It is our money.

Before we close, there is one more issue that caught my attention this week.

Many of us had the opportunity to follow Governor Mung'aro as he appeared before the Senate Public Accounts Committee (PAC). One issue that stood out was the revelation that a county had allegedly continued paying a company close to Ksh 4 million for nearly ten years, even after the company's services had reportedly been terminated.

If those facts are confirmed, then it raises a simple question every taxpayer should be asking:

How does a contract end, but the payments continue?

This is exactly why audit reports matter.

They are not just documents filled with numbers. They are warning signs that help us identify weaknesses in financial controls before they become bigger losses to the taxpayer.

Whether it is unsupported expenditure, stalled projects, missing records, or payments made without proper justification, the common denominator is always the same—the ordinary mwananchi pays the price.

As citizens, our responsibility is not to rush to conclusions or pass judgment before investigations are complete. Our responsibility is to ask questions, demand transparency, and expect accountability from those entrusted with managing public resources.

Because every shilling that disappears is a road left unfinished, a hospital left unequipped, a classroom left incomplete, or medicine that never reaches a patient.

Government money is not free money.

It is our money.

As Chávez once said, “Once you educate the people, you cannot make them unlearn.” We have seen the future, and the future is ours. They think we don’t see. But we are faceless, and yet, we see.

Gods of Taita Taveta, let’s make it in our own image. Next Saturday, stay tuned for our next episode. We are now on Facebook @Alve Mwaregha.

For any queries or information, reach out to us at Voice of Taita Taveta @doctalve or email doctalve@gmail.com.

— Voice of Taita Taveta