MPs grill 'dodgy' Kabura on NYS scam
What you need to know:
- Ms Kabura is said to have fraudulently received over Sh1.8 billion from the NYS through her companies.
- She was to face the parliamentary committee investigating the matter last week but defied the summons for the third time.
One of the key suspects in the National Youth Service (NYS) scandal has been put on the spot by a parliamentary committee investigating the matter, with tough questions being asked.
The National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee wants to hear Josephine Kabura's side of the story.
She is the owner of the 11 firms that supplied materials to the agency, but was reported to have been paid far much more than what was due to her.
She was to face the team last week but defied the summons for the third time.
Her companies were paid Sh1.3 billion of the Sh1.8 billion looted from the NYS, according to a report prepared by the Office of the Auditor-General after a special audit.
According to the report, Ms Kabura was set to receive Sh695.4 million from the NYS before the alarm was raised and the fraudulent transaction stopped.
Ms Kabura's lawyers had on previous occasions cited her busy schedule attending court as the reason she could not make it for the meetings and said she would be available in mid-November.
When the committee decided it would have Inspector-General Joseph Boinnet arrest and haul her before them, her lawyers wrote to say she was ready to appear at whatever time the MPs desired.
Ms Kabura sensationally named former Devolution Cabinet secretary Anne Waiguru as the architect of the scam who knew what was going on all along and sent the police down the wrong path when they started investigating the scandal.
According to the Auditor-General, Ms Kabura was the owner of Brain Craft Trading, Big Kent Company, Classroom Technology, Essential Prodigy Trading, Gilnak General Suppliers, Smartboard Learning Equipment, Startling Trading and Tucking Stitch Emporium.
The companies, plus another called Brand Associates, whose owners were not established, were paid Sh609.25 million.
“The businesses were newly registered and were barely two months in existence but started receiving significant payments from the NYS.
"The businesses were registered in October/November 2014 immediately after initiating the NYS restructuring and hiring of cohorts in September 2014 and therefore had no prior dealings with the NYS,” the report said.
Ms Kabura also owned Form Home Builders, Reinforced Concrete Technologies and Roof and All Trading, the companies fraudulently paid Sh791.36 million for supplying materials for the construction of a road in Kibera.
Auditors established that Form Home Builders received all its irregular payments of Sh218.93 million at least five months before it was registered, while the two other companies started receiving payments two months after registration.
