The 21 officers will be charged alongside four suppliers whom they paid Sh791, 385,000 for the supply of road construction and building materials between December last year and April this year/FILE
NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 11 – The Directorate of Criminal Investigations has recommended that 21 officers in the Devolution Ministry be charged with fraud after it found that they had conspired to defraud the ministry of close to Sh800 million.
The 21 officers will be charged alongside four suppliers whom they paid Sh791, 385,000 for the supply of road construction and building materials between December last year and April this year.
Addressing journalists on Friday, Devolution Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru said the CID had also informed them that they had completed investigations on the issue of suspicious transactions within the National Youth Service and submitted the file to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for action.
“The DCI confirms that there was conspiracy to defraud NYS Sh695,400,000 in respect of committed disputed transactions. The investigations also identified similar fraudulent payments worth Sh791,385, 000,” said Waiguru.
She further stated that the Ministerial Human Resource Advisory Committee (MHRAC) and the Public Service Commission would now determine appropriate action in line with the law pending the decision of the DPP.
The MHRAC will take action on those below job group P while the Public Service Commission will be responsible for those above job group P as per the human resource policy which determines who the staff report to.
“The two will take the necessary action based on the report and in line with the law and the human resource policy as well as send all the officers on compulsory leave or interdiction,” she added.
The 21 officers recommended by the Director of Public Prosecutions to be charged are: Joels Kanyi Karenju, Francis Kariuki, Jennifer Manyara Mugure and Rhoda Kavu Makau from the Ministry’s headquarters and Adan Harakhe, Samuel Wachenje, Hendrick Nyongesa Polisi, Naftaly Githinji, Ruth Njeri Hihu, Charles Onsase Nyaachi, Mary Wangui Mbuthia, Ezekiel Karanja Kamau, James Gitau Kanuthu, Samuel Kilonzi, Fredrick Okello Nasiche, Regina Nyambura Mungai, Philip Joshua Otinga, Jane Wangeci Gichuki, David Dicks Alunga, Titus Libondo and Chemos Kororia Ndiema all from the National Youth Service.
One of the names that stood out from the list was that of Harakhe, the NYS Senior Deputy Director General whose appointment the Devolution CS had defended despite failing to provide documents showing the Public Service Commission’s involvement in the creation of the position and his subsequent appointment.
Harakhe had powers over procurement, human resource and also had the Authority to Incur Expenditure (AIE).
Indicating some sense of relief Waiguru said the recent development were a positive step towards countering corruption in public and ‘nipping it in the bud’ stating that matter was progressing towards closure.
READ: State House defends Waiguru over NYS scam
Early June this year Waiguru had stated that officers in her ministry had detected irregular transactions under the Integrated Financial Management Information Systems (IFMIS) amounting to Sh826 million, but however clarified that no monies had been paid.
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