Kenya’s image abroad is at risk following delayed disbursements of funds, poorly maintained diplomatic mission buildings and lack of security guards, the Auditor-General says in the 2023/24 audit report.
- •During the 2023/24 year, the foreign affairs department disbursed KSh 14.35 billion to missions abroad on the last month of each quarter.
- •The delayed disbursements resulted in delayed payments to local staff, foreign service allowances to home based staff, suppliers, office expenses and delayed procurement processes.
- •A physical verification of a sample of missions in Nigeria, China, Germany, Tanzania, France, Saudi Arabia and Israel revealed unsatisfactory matters, according to the report.
“In the circumstances, the delayed disbursements negatively affected the staff morale, caused low confidence and exposed the country to reputation risk,” notes audit report.
Kenya’s diplomatic assets in Abuja, Nigeria require urgent renovation as the roofs of Chancery Building, High Commissioner’s residence and the staff quarters were leaking during the audit. The country’s mission building in Berlin, Germany has defects such as a damaged roof and leakages at the balcony, cracks on the walls, the gate’s hydraulic and locking system among other defects.
The Chancery in Paris has major cracks on the wall, and there was evidence of basement and yard flooding , ceiling leaks and peeling wall paint. In addition, the report outlined the poor state of the Ambassador’s residence in Paris with damaged fittings, roof tiles and corroded gutters due to lack of routine maintenance.
The Auditor-General’s office says that a review of documents indicated that Kenya owned a chancery building and an official residence in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. However, the mission had only copies of the sale agreements with no evidence that the embassy had been included in the ownership document.
The audit also highlighted a similar situation in Tel Aviv, Israel, where there is no registered right of ownership despite a 1996 sales agreement. The building also has no insurance cover.