The Auditor General has warned that the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) is on the verge of losing property worth KSh 5.7 billion.
In an audit report tabled in Parliament, Nancy Gathungu noted that private individuals and entities have encroached NCPB properties in different parts of the country.
She stated that inspection visits at select depots showed that private parties of government entities had fenced or leased off parcels of land belonging to NCPB.
The properties in question are in Bungoma, Kisii, Nakuru, Kericho and Kakamega.
“In view of these issues, the ownership by the board of the properties could not be confirmed,” Gathungu pointed out in her report.
For instance, in Bungoma, the audit showed that a private developer fenced off a plot where NCPB silos are located and leased it out to a garage operator.
In Kisi, the report showed that structures have been irregularly built by third parties on NCPB land while in Kericho, permanent residential houses had been built and occupied by third parties who claim to own the properties
At the same time, the audit indicate that the board did not have ownership documents for NCPB properties in Nakuru and it was not possible to physically identify the said land for audit verification.
In Kakamega, the tenant leasing the NCPB depot land had built permanent structures and also repainted the NCPB office.
“No records were provided to indicate the highway effort made by NCPB management to recover these parcels of lands,” Gathungu added.
