This is no longer a fight against corruption, Waiguru

Devolution Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru has Tuesday released a statement in defense of the graft allegations leveled against her.

A statement she posted on her social media page said, “the last three months have witnessed incessant media attacks on my character on the issue of corruption in the Ministry of Devolution and its agencies including the NYS.”

“What is shocking is the deliberate refusal to recognize my role as a CS and that of officers who are either accounting officers or AIE holders in Government Depts.” She said.

The CS also stated that both by law and in practice, she does not procure, purchase nor sign and negotiate contracts in the Ministry.

“Where instances of possible malpractice have been brought to my attention I have called in investigative authorities. At no point has any investigation either by EACC, CID or any other body pointed to my personal engagement with corrupt deals. Yet the vicious unwarranted attacks continue. It’s amazing that whereas there are similar and more serious allegations of misuse of funds in many government departments there is never the personalized level of attack on CSs that has been directed at me,” the statement continued to read.

Waiguru also said that this was no longer about the fight against corruption, it is a calculated evil, vindictive, ill intentioned and unfortunate distraction from the work the Ministry has been doing in the last two years.

The Devolution CS said she would,”continue to serve my country diligently as I have always done for as long as I am given the trust to do so.”

The CS said she called in investigative authorities where instances of possible malpractice were brought to her attention.

According to the Financial Register presented by PS Peter Mangiti for the year 2013 – 2014, the Ministry inflated the cost of basic commodities supplied to it during the same fiscal year.

For instance, the Ministry, according to the document, procured 18 male and female condom dispensers at a cost of Ksh 450,000, which translates to Ksh 25,000 each.

The document also shows that the Ministry bought 20 ball point pens at Ksh 174,000.

However, it is not clear on whether the quantity indicated is per packaging box or per pen. If the cost is per pen, it means each piece was bought at Ksh 8,700; if per packaging box, it means each piece (pen) was bought at Ksh 435.

The Public Accounts Committee on Tuesday summoned Waiguru to explain the apparent discrepancies.

The committee also discovered that the supply and installation of an integrated monitoring touch screen in her office cost Sh1.798 million while computers, a printer, telephone headsets and a water dispenser were bought for Sh1.4 million.

Among the more outrageous was a case in June 2014 when the Huduma Kenya secretariat paid Sh174,000 for 20 blue, fine-tipped ballpoint pens, meaning each cost Sh8,700. The register does not indicate whether this was 20 cartons or 20 pens.

Most of the payments are indicated as having been made in June 2014, raising committee members’ eyebrows as traditionally, ministries rush to spend funds remaining in their budgets before the end of the financial year on June 30.

The inflated expenses were discovered as the committee scrutinised the ministry’s thick file of replies to queries in the Auditor-General’s report for the 2013/2014 financial year.

The Devolution ministry is said to have lost Sh45 billion which it collected from the Eurobond floated by the government.

The money is said to have been used in projects that cannot be accounted for within the ministry.

The department of planning was allocated the second largest share of the money after infrastructure.