Minister faulted over embassy assets

A parliamentary committee has accused the Foreign Affairs minister of misleading the public that the taxpayer got value for money in the acquisition of the Kenyan mission property in Tokyo, Japan.

The committee on Defence and Foreign Relations has, as a result, recommended that Mr Moses Wetang’ula should step aside to pave way for investigations.

In a report tabled in Parliament on Tuesday, the 11-member team, which also investigated the purchase of the Kenyan embassy property in Egypt, Nigeria, Belgium and Pakistan concluded that the taxpayer lost close to Sh1.1 billion in the Tokyo transaction.

“The minister, while appearing before the committee, was asked the question: Did the public get value for money? He said the answer is a resounding Yes. He then stated that the decision to purchase the property in the manner the ministry did was wise and prudent and was long overdue,” said the committee in its report tabled in Parliament Tuesday.

Also indicted is Foreign permanent secretary Thuita Mwangi, and the deputy head of mission at the Tokyo Embassy, Mr Allan Mburu, who the MPs said should also step aside to pave way for investigations.

Mr Mwangi is said to have ignored provisions of the Public Procurement and Disposal Act, 2005.

They claim he allowed payment of the full purchase price before making adequate arrangements to guarantee that the transfer of the property was done, exposing the government “to risk of financial loss”.

Mr Mburu is accused of having signed a sale agreement on behalf of the government without authority. The team said the government lost close to Sh1.1 billion in the procurement transaction in Tokyo and close to Sh84 million in the purchase of a chancery in Brussels.

The MPs want measures instituted to recover the money lost in the transactions.

The committee, chaired by Wajir West MP Adan Keynan, said the evidence adduced showed that the Tokyo transaction was not wise and prudent.

The minister had earlier accused some members of demanding bribes to drop the investigation. It has now emerged that he withdrew his complaints against the committee in a letter to the House Speaker.

Last week, Mr Wetang’ula wrote to the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission asking it to investigate whether the government got value for money in the Tokyo deal.