KENYAN EMBASSIES AUDIT: From Leaking Roofs, Stolen Cars To Sketchy Ownership
The Auditor General, Nancy Gathungu, has released a report revealing the worsening condition of some Kenyan embassies and high commissions abroad.
Although financial mismanagement issues were revealed in the embassies, Gathungu expressed concern about the physical state of the buildings.
“Physical verification of assets in sampled Missions revealed the following unsatisfactory matters,” Gathungu stated.
Auditor-General’s Report on National Government Funds 2023-2024. For details, click;https://t.co/jDXPgxV1Sq#EnhancingAccountability pic.twitter.com/2OzQLc11ah
— Auditor-General Kenya (@OAG_Kenya) February 24, 2025
Starting with the Kenya High Commission in Abuja, Nigeria, the Auditor General discovered that the roofs of the chancery building, the High Commissioner’s apartment, and the staff quarters were leaking and needed immediate repair.
Furthermore, according to a 2022 audit, a mission vehicle that was allegedly stolen had yet to be replaced, and no insurance claim had been lodged.
The theft case remains open since police have yet to make an arrest. There were severe security worries at Kenya’s mission in Beijing, China.
Despite the fact that the chancery building was located in the same compound as the ambassador’s apartment, there were no CCTV cameras to monitor activity within the building or security guards to oversee the mission. Smoke detectors were also absent.
Another car issue developed, as a vehicle had been grounded at the premises for more than four years, with its worth deteriorating owing to wear and tear.
However, management explained that the vehicle had exceeded the mileage restriction specified by the host country’s legislation and hence could not be insured.
Auditor-General’s Report on National Government Ministries Departments and Agencies 2023-2024.
— Auditor-General Kenya (@OAG_Kenya) February 24, 2025
To access the report from our website, click;https://t.co/3jMYThessK#EnhancingAccountability pic.twitter.com/jRozqoWUxI
The Kenyan Mission in Berlin, Germany, too has a damaged roof and leaks, especially on the attic terrace balcony.
The chancery also found cracks in the walls, faulty hydraulic and locking systems on the gate, a disintegrating verandah, damage to the outside ceiling on the first floor, and peeling paint throughout the structure, among other issues.
Two deregistered motor vehicles that had been certified for disposal remained unsold and unused on the mission’s grounds.
An assessment of the premises, undertaken after the immediate former Head of Mission’s term of duty ended, indicated that some items from the inventory list had gone missing.
However, no explanation or evidence of the steps taken to establish the loss was supplied.
Matters were much worse at the neighboring Kenyan Mission in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where a five-acre tract of property acquired in Dodoma had yet to be secured with fencing, raising the risk of encroachment.
An inspection also discovered that repairs on two staff houses in Mikocheni, which cost around Ksh3.4 million, were stagnated in 2020.
In a more embarrassing revelation, a residential residence owned by one of the organizations was sold in December 2021 for Ksh20 million, but the cash were yet to be submitted to the State Department of Foreign Affairs.
The chancery at the Kenyan Mission in Paris discovered large fissures stretching from the ground to the third story.
The building also displayed signs of basement and yard floods, ceiling leaks, and peeling wall paint.
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The Ambassador’s Paris property was likewise in disrepair, with damaged fittings, roof tiles, and rusted gutters as a result of a lack of regular maintenance.
The difficulties identified in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and Tel Aviv, Israel, were even more troubling, as they entailed not only physical deterioration but also raised questions about the ownership of the properties on which the missions were located.
Although there were documentation in Riyadh claiming Kenya’s ownership of a chancery and an official home, the mission only had copies of the sale agreements and no proof that the Embassy was included in the ownership deed.
Tel Aviv also did not offer documentation of a registered right of ownership. Furthermore, the building was not insured.
KENYAN EMBASSIES AUDIT: From Leaking Roofs, Stolen Cars To Sketchy Ownership
