Thursday, 3 July, 2025
PIC-SSAA reviews Auditor General report for the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) for the financial year 2022/2023 - 2023/2024.
Wednesday, 2nd July 2025. Bunge Towers, Parliament buildings.
The Public Investment Committee on Social Services, Administration and Agriculture, in a session chaired by the Vice-chairperson Hon. Caleb Amisi (Saboti), has viewed the Auditor-General’s report for the Agriculture and Food Authority for the financial years 2022/2023 to 2023/2024. The committee’s discussions focused on audit queries affecting state agencies, emphasising agriculture and human resource management.
One major issue was the presence of undocumented assets related to cane testing units. In response, the concerned organisation explained that these assets were capitalised in the 2022–2023 financial year and properly categorised in the asset register. They supported this clarification by presenting relevant documents to the committee.
The committee also examined a variance between revenue from exchange transactions and figures shown on the e-Citizen platform. Management said they had written to the Principal Secretary at the National Treasury, requesting the release of funds to address this difference and align the records.
Attention turned to struggling state-owned sugar companies, including Chemilil Sugar Company, Muhoroni Sugar Company, and Nzoia Sugar Company. The committee raised concerns about unpaid salary arrears at Nzoia Sugar Company, highlighting the hardship this has caused employees who depend on timely wages.
Human resource governance challenges were also discussed. The authority had worked with the State Corporations Advisory Committee (SCAC) to develop HR instruments, but these were later challenged in court and declared unconstitutional. Following the ruling, the authority has forwarded updated HR instruments to the Public Service Commission for review and approval.
In his closing remarks, Hon. Caleb Amisi urged all stakeholders to, “use all your energy for the benefit of the country and Kenyans at large.” His message underscored the need for dedication, transparency, and accountability in managing public resources.
The committee reaffirmed its commitment to effective oversight and pledged to keep engaging with institutions to close gaps identified by the Auditor-General.