After months of intrigue and dilly-dallying, PAC has finally adopted a far-reaching report that bars former Devolution CS Anne Waiguru from holding public office.
Waiguru is planning to run for Kirinyaga governor seat.
The powerful National Assembly Public Accounts Committee, on Tuesday, adopted the report after investigations into the multi-billion theft at the National Youth Service and the Ministry of Devolution.
The report was forwarded to National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi’s office for approval before it is formally tabled in the House.
The theft initially involved Sh791 million, but a special audit report by the Auditor General, on whose basis the panel launched a probe, put the figure at more than Sh1.8 billion.
The report, if endorsed by the plenary without amendments spells doom on Waiguru’s political ambitions after she threw her hat in the ring for the Kirinyaga governor race.
The influential watchdog committee chaired by Rarieda MP Nicholas Gumbo recommended that Waiguru be barred from holding public office for “ personally plotting and executing” the mega scandal.
During Tuesday’s session, Balambala MP Abdikadir Aden and Mathioya’s Clement Wambugu are said to have opposed the sanction against the ex-CS and wanted harsh punishment on her upon conclusion of investigations.
They were, however, overruled by a majority who adopted the report. For the 29-member committee to adopt a resolution, at least 15 members must concur. The committee also recommended that Waiguru be investigated further with a view to being prosecuted over her role in the loss of billions of shillings set aside to empower the youth.
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Waiguru was indicted for running a parallel system in the ministry with the help of single-sourced expatriates and self-styled personal consultants who acted as conduits in the intricate corruption web. The ex-influential CS was forced to resign from President Uhuru’s Cabinet in November 2015, citing ill-health.
Through hurriedly registered companies owned by proxies and faceless individuals, Waiguru planned, programmed, orchestrated and supervised the large-scale theft at the ministry through double payments, inflation of tenders and contracts, the report says.
“The former CS should be further investigated and charged for supervising looting of public funds,” the report adds. Also facing the same harsh sanction is former Devolution CS Peter Mangiti, who the committee concluded was part of the elaborate scheme to defraud the taxpayers.
Former National Youth Service Director General Nelson Githinji, former NYS Deputy Director General Aden Harakhe and former Devolution ministry tendering committee chairman Hassan Noor have also been indicted by the committee.
Noor is running for Mandera governor in the August 8 polls.
Waiguru was in February last year hurriedly cleared of Sh791 million scandal by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, but the anti-graft agency made a hasty retreat after an explosive affidavit by businesswoman Josephine Kabura on tenders scam.
Kabura, who was initially identified as Waiguru’s hairdresser, but whom the committee found was a qualified IT expert, was the chief conduit of the heist. She had told the committee that Waiguru helped her registered 20 companies in a record three days and gave her contracts at NYS and at the ministry.
However, Waiguru denied knowing her, telling PAC that Kabura was “a puppet working for puppeteers’, in an attempt to link her to influential figures around the Presidency.
Sharp differences in the panel chaired by Gumbo over sanctions on key suspects, among them Waiguru, had earlier delayed the adoption of the crucial report. There were also claims the committee was under pressure to deliberately delay the tabling of the report to ensure it was brought before the House at the tail-end of the Session.
This was seen as part of a scheme by some ‘shadowy’ forces to block its debate in the current session as its details would negatively affect political fortunes of some key and influential individuals.
The committee in early February retreated to Mombasa to write its report, but after three days at the coastal town, flew back to Nairobi without a common position.
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