KSAMC can't explain $33m spent on houses for poor - auditor general report
Published:Tuesday | January 14, 2025 | 7:17 PM
The Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation has not been able to provide information on its expenditure of $33 million under a housing programme for poor persons between 2018 and 2022, an auditor general's department investigation has found.
"The integrity of the programme was undermined by these transparency and accountability deficiencies," the Auditor General's Department (AuGD) said in a report on a performance audit of Jamaica's social welfare programme.
The audit covered the period 2017-2018 - 2023-2024.
The report was released by Parliament on Tuesday.
One aspect of the probe focused on 10 projects administered by the KSAMC between June 2018 and August 2022, under the Municipal Social Assistance Programme of the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development (MLGCD).
Of the $63.3 million disbursed, only $30.3 million was properly accounted for, representing the construction of four houses for two fire victims and two registered indigents, the report said.
However, auditors were unable to identify the beneficiaries of the remaining $33 million worth of houses.
"We couldn’t determine the beneficiaries of the remaining $33 million worth of houses constructed, and if the basic requirement established by the MLGCD were met, as beneficiaries’ names and social reports were not presented," the report said.
The audit further highlighted gaps in oversight across other aspects of the social assistance programme
While funeral grants were supported by social investigation reports, the auditors flagged concerns about the KSAMC's provision of education grants.
"We found no evidence of social investigations to validate the eligibility of individuals receiving education grants," the AuGD said.
The AuGD said the Desmond McKenzie-led ministry provided incomplete data on the number of beneficiaries under the programme between 2018-19 and 2023-24.
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