Youth Fund chair linked to graft sent home
What you need to know:
- In a gazette notice, the President revoked Mr Odhiambo’s appointment after the immediate former chairman was sucked into a Sh180 million corruption scandal.
- A parliamentary watchdog, the Public Investment Committee and the Inspectorate of State Corporations had previously recommended that Mr Odhiambo and the entire board steps aside to pave way for independent investigations.
- The presidency was also on the spot because the request to send the board home was made by the State Corporations Advisory Committee last year, followed by another one by Public Service, Youth and Gender Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki this year, yet no action had been taken.
President Uhuru Kenyatta has finally sacked the Youth Enterprise Development Fund chairman Bruce Odhiambo following loss of millions in the organisation.
In a gazette notice, the President revoked Mr Odhiambo’s appointment after the immediate former chairman was sucked into a Sh180 million corruption scandal.
“In exercise of the powers conferred to me by Section 7 (3) of the State Corporation Act Cap.446, I Uhuru Kenyatta, President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-in-chief of Kenya Defence Forces, revoke the appointment of Bruce Odhiambo as the chairman of the Board of the Youth Enterprise Development Fund,” reads the gazette notice.
A parliamentary watchdog, the Public Investment Committee and the Inspectorate of State Corporations had previously recommended that Mr Odhiambo and the entire board steps aside to pave way for independent investigations.
But the President failed to act on the recommendations, six months after the scandal first came to light.
The presidency was also on the spot because the request to send the board home was made by the State Corporations Advisory Committee last year, followed by another one by Public Service, Youth and Gender Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki this year, yet no action had been taken.
Although Mr Odhiambo had opted to resign in March this year to “pave way for investigations”, his appointment had not been revoked, meaning he was legally still in charge of the youth fund.
Mr Odhiambo and suspended chief executive Catherine Namuye have been accused of failing to prevent the loss of the funds.
He also unilaterally appointed Ms Namuye the sole signatory of the fund’s account.
Ten days after this, Sh180 million was transferred in two tranches of Sh115 million and Sh65 million to Quorandum Ltd.
