The President’s Chief of Staff Joseph Kinyua presented the Legal Notice dated April 8, 2016 to the Public Investments Committee as proof that the government had nullified the appointment/FILE
NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 12 – President Uhuru Kenyatta has revoked the appointment of Bruce Odhiambo as the Chairman of the Youth Enterprise Development Board.
The President’s Chief of Staff Joseph Kinyua presented the Legal Notice dated April 8, 2016 to Parliament’s Public Investments Committee as proof that the government had nullified the appointment.
Also dismissed are seven other board members Stella Bongoko, Paul Gathura Ng’ang’a, Sabra Omar Hussein, Jane Mutinda, Mike Wamae, Clement Ayungo and Nichola Mwaniki.
Aldai MP Cornell Serem who chaired the session had earlier led MPs Kimani Ichung’wah and Olago Aluoch in demanding for clarity on Odhiambo’s status after it emerged that the acting Fund CEO Immanuel Odero had last Thursday written to staff dismissing media reports of the resignation.
Kinyua further told the House watchdog team which has been probing the loss of Sh180 million from Fund’s account that the government will recover the looted cash.
He added that Odhiambo contravened the State Corporation Act by acting unilaterally to appoint suspended CEO Catherine Namuye as the sole signatory of the Fund’s bank accounts.
The Head of Public Service told the PIC that the board broke the law by operating a fixed deposit account amount of Sh400 million at Chase Bank without approval of the National Treasury.
Kinyua appeared before the House team to explain why action had not been taken against Odhiambo and the board as recommended by Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki and the Inspectorate of State Corporations.
“At the time the letter came, it found as I was out of the country accompanying His Excellency (the President) and then later I had a problem with my health hence my absence in office,” he said.
PIC is investigating how Sh180 million was transferred in two tranches of Sh115 million and Sh65 million to Quorandum Limited, 10 days after Odhiambo appointed Namuye as the sole signatory to the Fund’s account.
Quorandum handled a suspect ICT contract but it never delivered the project.
The committee has further issued summons requiring the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and Sergeant-at-Arms of Parliament to present the Gigtych Africa Managing Director Hillary Yegon before the committee on Wednesday next week
This is after Gigtych Africa failed to honour three committee invitations to shed light on the company’s relations with the Fund.
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