Port IT bosses taken to task over lost cargo

State Counsel Alexander Muteti (left) cross examines KRA's Danstan Majanja during the hearing of a case where 31 suspects are charged with conspiring to facilitate the release of 121 containers, without payment of custom duty causing revenue loss of Ksh 106 million, at the Mombasa Court in Mombasa County on Friday April 6, 2018. [Kelvin Karani, Standard]

Two top Information and Communication Technology (ICT) managers at the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) Monday denied involvement in the loss of 124 containers that mysteriously went missing from the Mombasa port.

The containers, worth more than Sh106 million, were removed despite the port having over 500 CCTV cameras installed around it.

Head of ICT Fatma Nabhany and Principal IT Officer Eda Ngwatu are accused of failing to deactivate the password of Florence Langat from the Kilindini Waterfront Automated Terminal Operation System (Kwatos) on diverse dates between May 1, 2016 and August 3, 2016.

This led to the unprocedural release of 124 containers and loss of Sh106,950,000 in customs revenue. Ms Langat’s password and user account remained active even after she retired from the port.

The two, who have been charged together with 29 junior staff from KPA and KRA in a Mombasa court, denied any involvement in the fraud and said they had no part in the release of the containers from the port.

Langat has been accused of using her password to release the containers long after she ceased to be an employee of the port. She is yet to be arraigned.

Through their lawyer Kevin Anami, Ms Nabhany and Ms Ngwatu said they were scapegoats and insisted that the culprits were known.

“Could it be that because the other 29 accused are juniors, you decided to charge the two who are ICT managers of KRA and KPA as sacrificial lambs?” asked Mr Anami.

The managers said they did not input any data in the KRA electronic Simba system or the Kwatos to manipulate the system.

The IT departments of the two parastatals have come under scrutiny after someone manually keyed data into the Simba system after it collapsed to show that taxes had been paid when none had.

KRA investigation officer-cum-lawyer Dunstun Majanja said the Simba system had collapsed on several occasions prior to the release of the containers and admitted that the release happened during a down-time period.

“The compromise came about after someone manually entered data into the system to make it possible to evade KRA charges. This happened before the release of the containers during the down-time of the Simba system,” said Mr Majanja.

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