Maasai Mara scandal haunts ex-DVC eyeing NG-CDF job

The Sh200 million scandal at Maasai Mara University returned to haunt Prof Mohamed Abdille during his vetting for the position of chief executive of the National Government/Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) board.

Appearing before the National Assembly Committee on the NG-CDF, he had a difficult time exonerating himself as some members appeared to have already made up their minds on his suitability for the job.

Prof Abdille was the deputy vice-chancellor in charge of administration, finance and planning at the time of the scandal.

He told the committee chaired by Igembe North MP Maoka Maore that efforts to stop it were the reasons why the university's council expelled him.

“I found corruption at the university when I joined it last year. I would be brought blank cheques to sign but I declined,” said the 44-year old medical microbiology graduate of Egerton University.

“The university council asked me whether I was ready to be part of them but I said I will not be part of them. That is when they decided to kick me out. They believed that the best way to frustrate the investigations was to dismiss me from employment."

THE FUND

Prof Abdille is seeking to replace Mr Yusuf Mbuno, who was appointed in 2011 as the fund’s acting CEO after two previous attempts to recruit a substantive CEO failed.

Mr Mbuno took over from Ms Agnes Odhiambo after she was appointed the Controller of Budget (CoB).

The CEO of the board is the accounting officer of the fund and oversees billions pf shillings allocated to the 290 constituencies every year.

The NG-CDF Act provides that at least 2.5 per cent of the national government’s revenue collected each year be allocated to the fund.

At least Sh39 billion has been allocated to the 290 constituencies in the current financial year.

In the event the MPs reject Prof Abdille, Mr Mbuno will continue to act.

ALLEGATIONS

At first, the council chaired by Dr Samuel Ochola suspended Prof Abdille over accusations of gross misconduct, incitement of both students and staff, traveling outside the country without the institution's clearance and insubordination.

The suspension would later be lifted through a court order.

But on March 5, 2020, Dr Ochola summarily dismissed him from employment, a decision he has challenged in court.

Among the reasons for his dismissal is his stoppage of the university’s transactions at the Co-operative Bank of Kenya while on suspension.

Prof Abdille, who told the MPs that he is worth Sh11.1 million, noted that he acted within the law as the court reinstated him to his job.

The blocking of the transactions, he said, was meant to safeguard public funds from plunder.

KEY WITNESS

The expulsion, according to a letter from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) presented to the committee, was a move by the council to frustrate investigations into the scandal.

The DCI had lined up Prof Abdille as a key state witness in the scandal so the sack would automatically bar him from accessing crucial information required to prosecute suspects led by Vice-Chancellor Prof Mary Walingo.

The council did not honour an attempt by Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha to have Prof Abdille reinstated.

Asked by Emurua Dikir MP Johana Ng’eno how his medical microbiology degree makes him suitable for the job, he said it is related to engineering, one of the requisite qualifications for the job, alongside finance, accounting, economics, community development and law.

He also noted his experience as chairman of a department at Egerton University, director and DVC in charge of finance and manager of a Sh1.2 billion fund as CEO of the Africa Medical Research Council representing 16 countries.

In March 2017, MPs rejected Mr Wilfred Buyema, who had been nominated for the position by the then Devolution Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri.

Mr Buyema was rejected on grounds that the recruitment was not transparent and that the board was not fully constituted, paving the way for Mr Mbuno to continue acting.