Answer for scandal, PM tells Ongeri

Prime Minister Raila Odinga has firmly stated that Education Minister Sam Ongeri must take political responsibility for the Sh4.6 billion fraud in the ministry.

The PM said there was no need for further investigations as the audit report by the Finance ministry had already made its findings and named those responsible, overruling an earlier statement by Prof Ongeri that police needed more time to close in on culprits.

“There is no need for further investigations, all we need is prosecution,” the PM told Parliament.

He stated that action will be taken starting with the big fish to the small fish. “Our instructions are that we start from the top going downwards, because there is a tendency to start with the small fish,” he said.

The PM issued a statement in Parliament on the fraud involving the Kenya Education Sector Support Programme (Kessp) funds, stating that Prof Ongeri should be held liable.

He said the audit shows there was apparently a systematic, even coordinated effort to steal the Free Primary Education money and the future of Kenyan children.

“How can Sh4.6 billion be lost under your care (and) you still say it is your officers? You should do better than that,’’ he stated, citing the recent case of the International Monetary Fund chief who voluntarily resigned after allegations of sexual assault were made against him.

Responding to questions during the PM’s time, Mr Odinga said the audit has revealed that a very large number of officials were involved in several irregular activities, such as making payments without supporting documents, irregular banking practices, improper withdrawals under imprests, and facilitation payments.

“In many cases, single individuals irregularly received millions of shillings some up to Sh10 million as inputs,” he said.

“This reflected a deliberate attempt to limit the potential for the audit to uncover unacceptable accounting operations, unethical behaviour or inappropriate spending. This is dreadful,” he stated.

Equally troubling, he said, was that the practice was not detected for a long time, blaming the ministry’s internal audit department for negligence.

Must face the law

Ikolomani MP Boni Khalwale said top officers, who include then permanent secretary Karega Mutahi, the chief financing officer Ms Alice Ndichu, the principal accountant, Ms Nancy Kinyua and the senior accountant Ms Rachael Ndung’u must face the law.

The member of Budalang’i, Mr Ababu Namwamba, questioned how decisive the government’s action will be, reminding the PM that he previously suspended the minister but he declined to comply with the same.

Responding, the PM said he made his position known on the matter when it came to light. Chepalungu MP Mr Isaac Ruto questioned whether the funds were set aside specifically for embezzlement.

He said the ministry needs a serious structural arrangement so that funds are delivered to the counties, a suggestion the PM agreed to, saying, this would bring about efficiency and allow the central Government to only monitor the same.

The PM said there were provisions in the Constitution for devolution of such funds. Gichugu MP Martha Karua said properties of the culprits should be frozen as they face charges.

Gwassi MP John Mbadi questioned why it took the Government so long to make the audit report public.

The PM said the anti-corruption commission has been told to move with speed to ensure all the officers involved are immediately taken to court.

“This is so that they don’t remain in the system where they will continue to frustrate progress. The report has got the names and the amount of money involved,” he stated.

However, he said the Kessp programmes will not suffer or be suspended as a result.

“The issue is not that misuse of public funds occurs. It can happen in any country. The issue is our inability to deal with it firmly, decisively, and swiftly,” the PM said.

He stated that the county will only be developed “if we can plug the loopholes and block the areas that allow pilferage and leakage of public funds because the pilferages are still too many.”

The PM added that the fight against corruption is frustrated when communities come out claiming one of their own was under attack.

“ As MPs, we should also play a role to ensure if someone has embezzled funds and being targeted by law, it should not be trivialised with arguments that it is because he comes from this or that community. We should not defend impunity of the basis of ethnicity,” he said.