NAIROBI, Kenya – Kenyan taxpayers spent Sh3 million on rent for former Kenya Prisons Service Commissioner General Brigadier (Rtd) John Warioba in the 2023/24 financial year, despite him being entitled to a housing allowance, a new audit report has revealed.
Auditor General Nancy Gathungu, in her latest report, questioned the legality of the payment, noting that Warioba was only eligible for a monthly housing allowance of Sh100,000.
Instead, the State Department for Correctional Services signed a tenancy agreement with a private provider at Sh250,000 per month, bringing the total annual cost to Sh3 million.
“The Commissioner General’s letter of appointment did not indicate that his terms of employment included provision of a leased residential house and therefore, the basis for the leasing of the house was not clear,” Gathungu stated.
The report further highlighted that the arrangement contravened guidelines by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), which is constitutionally mandated to advise on the remuneration and benefits of State and public officers.
In addition, no evidence was presented to show that the lease had been registered with the State Department for Housing and Urban Development, as required by law.
Warioba was appointed by former President Uhuru Kenyatta in November 2021, following the dismissal of Wycliffe Ogalo, and retired in July 2024.
He was succeeded by Patrick Aranduh, appointed by President William Ruto.
Beyond the irregular housing benefits for the former prisons boss, the Auditor General’s report laid bare the dire housing conditions facing prison officers across the country.
According to the audit, senior officers are allocated houses originally built for junior staff, leaving newly recruited officers to live in makeshift shelters.
Some recruits are housed in open halls and stores crudely partitioned with cardboard, newspapers, bed sheets, or polythene sheets, often without access to water or sanitation.
“The officers who reported that their houses were in bad condition also reported that their family life is affected. They are embarrassed to host visitors and lack privacy, among other challenges,” the report noted.
Many staff quarters were found to be dilapidated, with broken doors and windows, leaking roofs, and crumbling facilities.
Gathungu observed that the state of affairs undermines Article 43 (1)(b) of the Constitution, which guarantees every Kenyan the right to accessible and adequate housing.
The audit recommended that management should, at a minimum, provide junior officers with self-contained single rooms as decent housing.
The revelations underscore stark inequalities within the prisons service—where the head of the institution received benefits beyond his entitlement while rank-and-file officers endured appalling conditions.
