Waiguru hired ‘personal advisers’ for sensitive NYS jobs, House told

Former Devolution Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru hired several “personal advisers” for sensitive jobs like procurement in the scandal-hit National Youth Service (NYS), MPs heard on Wednesday.

Former Head of Procurement Nyongesa Pilisi told the National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee that the officials, who also doubled as personal assistants of the former minister, were discourteous in issuing “instructions from the CS” and demanded to be involved in procurement matters.

“Things were running smoothly until the CS (Ms Waiguru) brought in her personal advisers and sacked some employees, creating confusion, as some junior officers ended up supervising their bosses,” he said.

Mr Pilisi said he was sacked “verbally” by Ms Waiguru during a meeting at her Harambee House office after he recommended that experts be brought in to determine the quantity of materials required to construct a 3.5 kilometre road in Kibera.

He also accused the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) of failing to investigate complaints forwarded to it after concerns were raised that materials supply for the road were “excessive”.

The road in Kibera has become a reference point in the massive corruption at the NYS, where Sh791 million was paid to three companies for tarmacking the road, whose actual cost was Sh78 million.

CURB CORRUPTION

Officials at the NYS reportedly manipulated the Integrated Financial Management Information System (Ifmis), an online payment and government procurement system meant to curb corruption, by adding zeroes at the end of figures and ended up stealing billions of shillings.

Mr Pilisi was, however, taken to task after he alleged that NYS vehicles and equipment were paid for by the contractors who hired them to transport building materials from two quarries in Rongai and Ruai on the outskirts of Nairobi, but could not provide the payment schedules.

Balambala MP Abdikadir Aden said he contradicted information previously given to the committee indicating that all the works were done by NYS and that the contractors were paid for doing no work and for supplying materials that essentially belonged to the institution.

“Those who have come before this committee told us the work was done by the NYS. Can you tell us what the contractors were being paid for?” he was asked.

Mr Pilisi admitted he had not visited the site, but said he was aware the contractor was supposed to have hired the NYS machinery and that the quarries belonged to private individuals.

Asked how many “personal advisers” Ms Waiguru hired, Mr Pilisi said one of his assistants had been assigned three “advisers” while a public relations firm known as Consultancy House deployed five “assistants to the minister” at the Kibera grounds, where several projects were to be completed within a short period.

The official blamed Ms Waiguru for issuing “verbal instructions” and for helping distort the procurement procedures provided for in law, which created loopholes for pilferage.