Anne Waiguru's fate out on Wednesday as MPs vote on NYS report

The National Assembly will on Wednesday vote on a controversial report on MPs’ investigations into the theft of millions of shillings at the National Youth Service.

Debate on the report concluded on Thursday last week, with Public Accounts Committee chairman Nicholas Gumbo calling on MPs to rise above sectarian interests and vote for the report.

LOOTING

The committee has recommended that former Devolution Cabinet secretary Anne Waiguru be barred from holding public office for “personally plotting and executing” the scandal.

The report indicts Ms Waiguru, the Jubilee party’s nominee for the Kirinyaga gubernatorial seat, for running a parallel system in the ministry with the help of single-sourced expatriates and self-styled personal consultants, who acted as conduits in the intricate corruption web.

“Through hurriedly registered companies owned by proxies and faceless individuals, Waiguru planned, programmed, orchestrated and supervised the large-scale theft at the ministry through double payments, inflation of tenders and contracts,” the report says.

MPs recommend that the former CS be further investigated and charged for supervising looting of public funds.

SANCTIONS

Also facing harsh sanctions is former Devolution principal secretary Peter Mangiti, who the committee concluded was part of the elaborate scheme to defraud taxpayers.

Former National Youth Service director-general Nelson Githinji, former NYS deputy director-General Aden Harakhe and former Devolution ministry tendering committee chairman Hassan Noor have also been indicted by the committee.

Just like Ms Waiguru, Mr Noor is in the race for the Mandera governor’s seat in the August 8 polls under the Economic Freedom Party, which is allied to Jubilee Party.

The Nation has learnt that pro-Waiguru MPs are silently lobbying to shoot down the report, whose adoption could switch off her political career at a time when it is showing signs of flickering.

THE LAW

Much as the adoption of the report could injure Ms Waiguru’s image, it is unlikely that such an outcome would keep her out of the August ballot.

The Leadership and Integrity Act of 2012 provides that a person can only be barred from contesting in an election after exhausting the judicial process.

This is reinforced by the precedence set by the High Court in the 2012 case involving Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto.

The case was filed by civil society groups that wanted the duo blocked from being cleared to contest because they were facing crimes against humanity charges at the International Criminal Court.

THREATS

Closing the debate on Thursday, Mr Gumbo called on the MPs to rise above sectarian interests and vote for the adoption of the report for justice to be served.

Mr Gumbo revealed that members of his committee were still receiving threats from individuals who have warned against the adoption of the report.

“It will be wrong for any person to say that they were bystanders in the design of the scandal. We must be ready to punish acts of commission and omission and Mangiti knows this.”