MPs demand answers from NITA on missing funds, controversial land deal
The Wednesday session focused on the unexplained use of Sh355 million, equivalent to 21 percent of NITA’s 2016/2017 budget, which remained unspent.
Members of Parliament have criticised the National Industrial Training Authority (NITA) for failing to provide detailed answers to audit queries and for not accounting for millions of shillings in public funds.
The authority appeared before the National Assembly Public Investments Committee on Social Services (PIC-SSA), chaired by Emmanuel Wangwe, to answer questions on alleged financial and asset mismanagement between 2015 and 2018.
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The Wednesday session focused on the unexplained use of Sh355 million, equivalent to 21 per cent of NITA’s 2016/2017 budget, which remained unspent.
MPs also raised concerns over Sh12.8 million in missing cheques allegedly linked to fraud by a former employee, Sh44.5 million in outstanding staff advances, and Sh18.3 million in uncollected training levies from defaulting employers.
“We need to know who this powerful private developer is and under what circumstances this allocation was made,” Wangwe demanded, referring to the controversial transfer of NITA land in Mombasa to a private entity.
NITA was compensated with a replacement parcel in Bombolulu, but it has been occupied by squatters since 1996, leaving the authority without usable land.
Officials failed to identify the developer or explain the transaction, prompting calls for parliamentary intervention to reclaim the property.
Beyond financial mismanagement, the committee highlighted poor asset handling.
The audit flagged an incomplete fixed assets register and missing ownership documents for key properties, including land parcels and a motor vehicle donated by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO).
“These submissions are not sufficient and are disorganised. We cannot proceed with such shallow responses to serious audit queries involving public funds,” Wangwe added. Other committee members noted that NITA had not adequately prepared for the session.
The committee has instructed NITA to reorganise its responses and submit thorough, well-documented answers within two weeks. The authority is expected to reappear before PIC-SSA on October 1, 2025, to address the unresolved issues.
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