Nairobi, June 29 -- The United Nations (UN) has opened an audit of one of its programmes in Kenya after investigations revealed that some senior Treasury officials siphoned Sh1.55 billion for personal use.

The move comes after investigations by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) found officials took advantage of weak management systems to siphon funds meant for the Programme for Rural Outreach of Financial Innovations and Technologies (PROFIT), jointly funded by the Kenyan government and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

IFAD is a specialised agency of the UN that addresses poverty and hunger in rural areas of developing countries.

"While the Fund cannot comment on ongoing legal proceedings, we t...