Sh2bn trees plan puts ministry on spot

The Environment ministry is on the spot over the management of a Sh2 billion school trees programme launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta five years ago.

A flurry of letters seen by Nation show that a team mandated to spearhead the process from the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) has been elbowed out of the exercise by the parent ministry.

The programme, which was to run for five years, would have seen primary schools supplied with seedlings in a bid to increase the country’s tree cover.

KFS said numerous letters written by its board to the ministry inquiring about the status of the funds have gone unanswered.

A company owned by President Uhuru Kenyatta’s kin was offered a local purchase order for the supply of seedlings worth Sh3 million, but rejected the offer.

Jam Hauling Company Ltd, whose directors are Mr James Muigai Ngengi and Mr Marthe Muigai, wrote to former Environment Principal Secretary Margaret Mwakima in March 2017 declining the offer.

OVERSIGHT ROLE

“We want to state that neither ourselves nor any member of Jam Hauling Company Ltd bid, tendered or solicited in any way for the supply of seedlings to your ministry or any other department of government, neither do we have the capacity to supply these items,” wrote the directors.

The project, launched by President Kenyatta, was to have 5,000 schools covered. But the matter seems to have fizzled out, according to a letter by the KFS board chairman Joseph Kinyua.

“While the programme’s documents identified Kenya Forest Service as the main implementer with the ministry playing an oversight role and chairing the steering committee, the funds never came to the Kenya Forest Service,” Mr Kinyua said in the letter to the current PS Susan Mochache dated September 17, 2018.

He added: “I have written several letters to your office with no reply forthcoming. I was first made aware of the situation in or around October 2017 and I wrote to the then Principal Secretary. I wrote again with no reply.”

ALLOCATED FUNDS

Ms Mwakima on Friday said she could only account for the period she was in charge during the 2016/17 financial year when the department was allocated Sh500 million which it used in 205 schools.

This was double the number of schools Parliament had allocated the funds to.

“The money was allocated to the ministry and not KFS. The Auditor-General’s report shows we did an excellent job. We worked closely with all stakeholders including KFS. It was more than just trees. We have all the documents to back this up,” she said.

On Jam Hauling Company Ltd, Ms Mwakima said there was no way an LPO would have been generated without them having them applied since the process is done through the Integrated Financial Management Information System.

DISBURSMENT

Mr Kinyua first wrote to then Environment Cabinet Secretary Judi Wakhungu on December 9, 2016 expressing his reservations.

“Out of the ambitious targets set in 2013, results can only be attributed to about 50 schools operationalised in 2014/2015 and even those are subject of audit at the moment. This trend is worrying me and my board. I am aware a whopping Sh545 million has been allocated to the programme for 2016/2017 financial year.

As at now, the Eastern tree planting season is coming to a close yet no disbursement has come to KFS,” he wrote then.

In January last year, Prof Wakhungu in a letter said it was her understanding that the money was supposed to be released to KFS to oversee the programme.

Despite the flurry of letters, Ms Mwakima wrote to Mr Kinyua in February 2017 saying the money was not meant for KFS.

“The ministry is undertaking the implementation of the green schools and commercial growing programme in phases. This programme is spearheaded by the President,” she wrote.