Nkaissery cries foul over dossier on Sh3.8b spending on security
What you need to know:
- However, the letter in which an officer from the Auditor-General’s office queried the payments worth Sh3.8 billion in the 2014/2015 Financial Year was read out to Mr Nkaissery and officers from his ministry in the presence of the media.
- He said that the core mandate of any nation’s defence was to ensure that its security systems and information relating to them was kept from falling into the wrong hands.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery has blamed Parliament for releasing confidential information to the media, saying it exposed the government’s security capacity and capabilities.
Mr Nkaissery said Wednesday his team presented the information to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the National Assembly in camera as provided for in law.
“The discussion between my team and the PAC took place in a privileged environment and information provided on (a) need-to-know basis,” he said.
However, the letter in which an officer from the Auditor-General’s office queried the payments worth Sh3.8 billion in the 2014/2015 financial year was read out to Mr Nkaissery and officers from his ministry in the presence of the media.
That part of the sitting was chaired by Suna East MP Junet Mohammed, who also read out a letter from National Assembly Clerk Justin Bundi to the ministry detailing a series of allegations made to the committee.
Mr Nkaissery, however, said he was not aware of the letter from the Auditor-General dated August 26 and could therefore not respond to it.
After he had answered the queries raised by Mr Bundi, Mr Nkaissery then requested that the media leave the room as the matters he was going to discuss were classified.
On Thursday morning, journalists from the Nation, The Standard and The Star were called by an officer from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations who identified himself as John Kariuki.
He asked the journalists to report to Mazingira House at 2.30 pm but was asked to send official summonses to the respective media houses.
PARLIAMENT FAULTED
The minister was summoned by the National Assembly after the Auditor-General questioned the spending of Sh3.8 billion on weapons, insurance for police officers, vehicles and repair of helicopters.
The CS said it was wrong for Parliament to release the information to the media, which did not participate in the discussion.
He said the core mandate of any nation’s defence was to ensure that its security systems and information relating to them was kept from falling into the wrong hands.
“Unfortunately, confidentiality was breached. The ministry has written to the Speaker of the National Assembly for guidance. We shall also seek legal reprieve within the laid-down framework.
“Globally, countries go to great lengths to put in place measures that safeguard and guarantee information relating to their security capacity and capabilities,” he added.
The minister also blamed the media for releasing the information to the public, saying it exposed the country’s security forces to risk.
He, however, denied alleged malpractices relating to procurement of security items within the ministry.
