The Parliamentary Accounts Committee (PAC) has been investigating the mega corruption scandal at the Kenya National Youth Service (KNYS) in which Ksh 1.8 billion was stolen by a notorious cartel running the Jubilee government. Although there have been very dramatic scenes during the hearings with witnesses being confronted by PAC members to explain how money got stolen, the Kenya Red Alliance (KRA) views the PAC approach as part of a cover-up of the scandal.
This is because since it kicked off its investigations, PAC has mainly been interrogating the small fish implicated in the scandal while avoiding “the untouchables” whose names have been publicly linked to the scandal.
For example, PAC spent a lot of time questioning Josephine Kabura, a key witnessed who informed the Committee that through 20 companies she set up within a very short period of time, she conducted business with the KNYS at the tune of Ksh 1.6 billion. While Kabura’s appearance before the Committee was welcome, the big question is why key personalities who may have been behind her have not been summoned by the PAC.
From details emerging from the Committee, Kabura’s looting of tax payer’s money was facilitated by former Cabinet Secretary (CS) Ann Waiguru who has also appeared before the Committee. Waiguru is alleged to be the girlfriend of President Uhuru Kenyatta whom she has worked with in the past and who appointed her Cabinet Secretary soon after the 2013 election rigging. Waiguru told the Committee that there is a cartel whose members she couldn’t name which was behind the theft.
If Waiguru is the invisible hand behind Kabura as many believe, then it follows that whoever is behind Waiguru must be more powerful than Waiguru herself. If the government was serious in apprehending the thieves, then the likes of Waiguru ought to have been taken into custody long time ago to name members of the cartel whose leader is known to be the President. Instead of frying Kabura, the right person who ought to be appearing before the Committee is President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Despite her frustrations, Waiguru did mention the names of Farouk Kibet, the Personal Assistant of Deputy President, William Ruto, and Kipchumba Murkomen, the Senator of Elgeyo Marakwet and Ruto’s right hand man. It is highly unlikely that both Farouk and Murkomen were engaged in corrupt deals with KNYS without the knowledge of the DP. While Faouk’s name was deleted from the list of suspects in the scandal by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Ruto has been at loggerheads with Waiguru over the former CS’s assertion that Ruto’s close allies were linked to the scandal. Under the circumstances, PAC ought to have summoned Farouk, Murkomen and Ruto to be interrogated by the Committee if it wants to get to the bottom of the matter. If PAC continues to treat certain personalities as “untouchables” the simple conclusion is that PAC is itself participating in the cover up of the scandal.
In this video, Chairman Martin Ngatia underlines the fact that PAC proceedings are a waste of time if the Committee cannot get the big fish. For KRA, the attempt to establish the identities of those who stole tax payer’s money at KNYS will fail because PAC is toothless. If a miracle happens and PAC summons “the untouchables”, hope might be restored. For now, KRA does not believe that anything tangible will come out of the Committee. The corruption cartels will win and it is for this reason that KRA is appealing to Kenyans to vote Jubilee thieves out of power in the 2017 elections.
Okoth Osewe
About the Author
ubilee has run down Kenya in the last four years.it is now that uhuruto is realizing what many many people saw when they formed their government way back in 2013.
rampant ethnicity,exclusivity and failure to exploit talented Kenyans of diverse ethnic backgrounds,seeds of corruption from the beginning with hustler jet,utter arrogance and chest thumping,isolation of Kenya in international system with ICC as excuse,extravagance in spending and borrowing,appointment of people ,green horns with no experience in bureaucracy of government but hustlers,penchant for get rich quick projects and schemes,grandiose projects but ill-thought,failure to mentor devolution,autocratic rule and muscling of press freedom,weakening of state institutions,militarization of state organs like foreign affairs and immigration with retired generals,tendency to talk down citizens by all knowing hustlers,proliferation of tendering in government even when you don’t the goods or services to make few people rich.the result is all there for everyone—–unemployment of youths,layoffs of workers,cost of living skyrocketing,education system especially higher education in disarray what with state exam leakages a year ago and under funding of universities,foreign policy in tatters over overzealous nationalism and tiff with UN,ICC leading to withdrawal fro south Sudan peace mission and mess on refugees and alignment with non democratic autocratic states like Zimbabwe ,Uganda etc,agriculture is under-performing and energy is riddled with opaque costly projects whose value is only known to jubilee.poor leadership at national institutions with weak tribal appointees have run down every good institutions Kenya was known for and cultivated environment for massive corruption which has cut across all sectors of government and neglect of Kenya population even in jubilee strongholds.the under performance by inept corrupt jubilee government is apparent to everyone and Kenyans are incensed by endemic corruption in presidency,nys,health ministry not to mention in mining,energy and power sectors and infrastructure.the scandals are now bigger than uhuruto and jubilee is stigmatized by their own corruption as auditor general and public accounts committee lay bare the anatomy of corruption in jubilee.we can now see the cartels,their networks and institutions which nurture them and allow them to thrive and milk citizens.we can see the faces of the beneficiaries and we can see their surrogates. no wonder uhuruto is resorting to cheap ticks and fake promises of so called developments which have no impact and which wont take off simply jubilee reign is over.
that’s the way to go.jubilee is ruining the future of Kenya.its a factional government with policies lopsided meant to benefit but government officials and few of their cronies while looting from the rest of citizens instead of public good.taxes in treasury is stolen and the thieves well known are free.look at nys,health,sgr,eurobond,energy projects,lapset every single is riddle in grand corruption.the result,economy shrunk,unemployment all time high,cost of living over the roof,graduates from universities lie idle at home,parents are despondent.forests in all water catchment area have been plundered at most and land given out secretly,public land are still being grabbed,potholes in roads which disappeared since advent of narc government have cropped up again on our roads,police reforms stalled again under ig,police brutalizing citizens protesting iebc ineptitude and innocent people in mumias,laikipia,samburu,marsabit,coast name it.banks are collapsing like cards ,retrenchment is back,shops in Kenyatta avenue are closing down and all over the country business are hard hit,quick rich scheme,tendering for the sake mentality without work implanted on our youth by jubilee master hustlers who became billionaires without working or known investment.energy reforms envisaged is not working.much hyped power connectivity is riddled with sectionalism and favoritism clearly discriminating against people who are not jubilee.Kenya standing international all time low..what with Kenya tiff with UN over refugees and pull out of troops from southern Sudan ,ICC and alignment with retrogressive undemocratic regimes of Zimbabwe,Uganda etc and bashing of democratic western countries under guise of championing African nationalism. Kenya farmers have not fared any better…the returns for farming have never been worse and unpredictable.so called projects are inflated costs to cater for grand looting by senior jubilee establishment.four year down the line jubilee still make promises.jubilee has but undermined democracy,good governance and open transparency in public institutions and conduct of public affairs and attacked devolution and judiciary,free press and criminalized criticism Industries have all but under performed or closed shop.jubilee has failed to attract even a single investor in all major towns in Kenya four years since they took office.taxation regime is outright punitive.but what is annoying concerning tax is wastage by jubilee government in penchant foreign travel and outright looting of line budget in ministries by jubilee cronies and poor service delivery to citizens.jubilee score card is so poor.look at government parastatals today.none is performing and delivering on mandate.all heavily mismanaged by appointees with no skills and knowledge to run business.look at national bank today.looted to the ground putting to shame efforts of narc government and grand coalition to shore it up.look at Kenya airways,look at Kenya meat commission,Kenya railways,Kenya ports,Kenya power,Kenya pipeline ..virtually all are looted and live from hand to mouth clearly unable to create jobs and opportunities to the public or spur economic development.There is no single innovation on policy ,initiative or project by jubilee government.even copycat policies,projects of old have been mismanaged and bungled.jubilee likes imitation no wonder their obsession with claim that CORD AND OPPOSITION LEADER RAILA SHOULD GIVE SOLUTIONS FOR JUBILEE TO IMPLEMENT AND CLAIM FALSE CREDIT.Everybody knows whats happening in education sector save tom mention that laptops are supplied selectively as sample to select schools and pupils.is this a good public education policy.?its good to have laptops but is it reachable to all ? at what cost ? whats the impact in education on intended beneficiaries ? these are questions jubilee government don’t want to be asked or answer.so we have discrimination in education,fifty years after independence.jubilee cares only about business they do with suppliers of laptops not the schools and children who don’t get the gadgets.LOOTING OF NYS FUNDS THROUGH so called ifmis is the worst scandal something that has probably costed the country billions of money since inception had kilifi governor not blown the lid over the secretive scheme run by treasury itself with governors having no information security control of system.jubilee have audacity to speak good about ifmis in spite of theft it perpetuates.