Devolution PS Peter Mangiti to face EACC investigators today as Waiguru remains defiant

Devolution and Planning Principal Secretary Peter Mangiti (left)

Devolution Principal Secretary Peter Mangiti is today expected to appear at the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission offices for questioning over the Sh791 million scandal at the National Youth Service (NYS).

In what EACC termed as facilitation of investigations, Mr Mangiti will be grilled on “allegations of financial impropriety at NYS”.

A summons seen by The Standard dated October 30 and signed by EACC Director of Investigation Abdi Mohammed, indicated that 14 other staff from the Ministerial Training Committee are expected to face the anti-graft agency.

However, the Sh791 million NYS scandal will not be the only issue EACC investigators Gideon Rukaria and Mohamud Hassan will be seeking answers on.

Yesterday, it was revealed that the amount misappropriated by the Devolution ministry could be way more than what was envisioned.

In a document presented to the Parliamentary Accounts Committee (PAC), numerous inflated figures were revealed.

The document, which Mangiti argued was presented to PAC ‘erroneously’, indicated an inflation of up to 900 per cent in the purchases made by the ministry.

Besides the Sh1.7 million television screen bought by the ministry, a laptop was purchased for Sh295,000 despite the fact that its market price is about sh30,000. And then Sh450,000 was spent on 18 tailor-made condom dispensers, meaning one of them cost the ministry Sh25,000.

Mangiti defended himself before the PAC saying that he was not familiar with some of the items allegedly procured in the 2013-14 financial year as well as their specifications. He shifted the blame to the procurement officials who he said are familiar with the transactions.

These outrageous overheads made the National Civil Society Congress, which is headed by Bruce Odhiambo, to earlier in the week insist that President Uhuru Kenyatta sack Devolution Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru.

Ms Waiguru distanced herself from the procurement mess, saying there were “personalised attacks” directed at her despite the fact that she is not the accounting officer.

In June, officers from the Criminal Investigations Department and EACC investigated the saga. Mangiti said: “This is an administrative issue. We invited the relevant authorities who include the CID’s anti-banking fraud and cyber-crime units as well as EACC to investigate the procurement irregularities and the probe is on.”