House panel directs Boinnet to arrest NYS scam suspect Josephine Kabura

Josephine Kabura, who is linked to the theft of NYS funds, in a Nairobi court on October 4, 2016 where she was charged with money laundering. PHOTO | PAUL WAWERU | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • On Tuesday, she was expected to appear before the panel to provide information on transactions involving the companies associated with her.
  • MPs also criticized Ms Kabura’s lawyer, F.I. Omino, who has written to the committee twice rescheduling the meetings she had been invited for, and giving reasons as to indicate she was not keen on attending.

The National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee has issued summons for the arrest of Josephine Kabura, a key suspect in the National Youth Service (NYS) scandal.

The summons direct Inspector-General of Police Joseph Boinnet to arrest and bring Ms Kabura before the committee before the end of the week.

Ms Kabura is said to have fraudulently received over Sh1.8 billion from the NYS through her companies.

She has failed to appear before the committee three times.

On Tuesday, she was expected to appear before the panel to provide information on transactions involving the companies associated with her.

“She is important to our investigations especially because of the explosive affidavit she swore in court about Waiguru (Former Devolution Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru),” the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Nicholas Gumbo said.

The summons means Ms Kabura may be hauled before the committee in handcuffs after having failed to honour voluntary invitations and taking up the chance to explain what she knew about the mega scam, and probably also exercise her right in dispelling any adverse findings on her conduct.

Ms Kabura is believed to be an “important witness” since apart from being mentioned as one of the key beneficiaries of the theft at the NYS, she is also one of the few suspects to have directly linked Ms Waiguru to the scandal, with MPs keen to establish her role and recommend prosecution.

Kitutu Masaba MP Timothy Bosire said it would be interesting to know how an ordinary Kenyan ended up being paid Sh1.8 billion and why she appeared to operate with impunity not only in staging the mega heist but also “blatantly” ignoring committee summons.

MPs also criticized Ms Kabura’s lawyer, F.I. Omino, who has written to the committee twice rescheduling the meetings she had been invited for, and giving reasons as to indicate she was not keen on attending.

In one of the letters, Mr Omino said he “expected to meet Ms Kabura in court in Malindi and that she would be attending the hearings there for three days, and would not be able to attend to the committee invitation until she was done with the court attendance.”