Planning Principal Secretary Peter Mangiti now disowns his document

Devolution Principal Secretary Peter Mangiti

A week after he handed a parliamentary watchdog a document that revealed shocking procurement malpractices in the Devolution ministry, piling the pressure on his boss Cabinet Secretary.

Anne Waiguru, besieged Principal Secretary Peter Mangiti has now made an about-turn.

Monday, Mr Mangiti convened a press conference to disown the inventory of the ministry’s assets that he presented to the National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and which exposed inflated pricing of items, sparking national outrage.

Last week, the PS was questioned for over eight hours by detectives at the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) offices over the National Youth Service (NYS) scandal, in what he said was to shed more light.

Ms Waiguru who has distanced herself from the financial impropriety bedeviling her docket is set to appear before EACC today. Mangiti, the ministry’s chief accounting officer, blamed "human error" for the controversial figures contained in a "raw working list" of assets, which worsened the credibility crisis already rocking the Devolution ministry that is faced with the Sh791 million NYS scandal.

Following the revelations before PAC, National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale and 10 MPs turned the heat on the PS for releasing the dossier showing how the ministry spent billions in exaggerated pricing.

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

"I am not involved in the procurement of those things. At all! Even the chair in my office, I cannot tell you how much it cost. I cannot tell you how much this pen cost; it is not possible for me to do that. There's the accounting officer who is responsible, there are teams below them that are given the responsibility to carry out that mandate," Waiguru told PAC.

But Monday, the PS claimed the figures provided to the House committee and which showed that the ministry had made purchases at inflated prices were a result of a mistake by unnamed people in the ministry.

Mangiti, who could face prosecution on the strength of his own document, addressed the Press at his office and admitted he had carried wrong figures to the PAC, and that he had now instituted investigations to find out how the mistakes occurred.

"To reverse these errors and to avoid recurrence of similar glaring omissions, I have instituted the necessary internal measures to get to the bottom of how they may have occurred," said the PS, who is under pressure, alongside Waiguru, to step aside to pave way for investigations into the scandal.

Accounting standards

"... I directed that the assets register be finalised in accordance with the format and asset classification prescribed by the international public sector accounting standards as advised by the Kenya National Audit officials and thereafter, present corresponding payment vouchers to the auditor for verification.

"However, erroneously, it was still the raw working list that was attached to the document I presented to PAC," he said.

The document detailed, among other items, how the ministry bought 18 male and female condom dispensers at a cost of Sh450,000 and 20 ballpoint pens at Sh174,000, translating to Sh8,700 each.

The ministry, according to the document, also bought a piano for office use, a photocopying machine and a Kaspersky security system at prices estimated to be three times their official market prices. Penile vibrators were also listed as among public assets purchased by the ministry.

Mangiti is set to appear again before the same committee to explain the controversial figures that have placed the ministry at the centre of a political storm.

The figures brought by Mangiti shocked PAC members, who ordered the PS to explain how taxpayers' money had been spent with such reckless abandon. When the PS later appeared before PAC alongside Waiguru, he attempted to withdraw the document, claiming he had tabled it accidentally.

Waiguru told MPs that she, too, had read about the scandalous purchases through media reports and that the PS, as the accounting officer, should answer to any questions regarding procurement and financial matters.

Monday, PAC chairman Nicholas Gumbo said no document had been withdrawn.

"We wouldn't even permit that because we regard that document as source data. The PS sought time to give clarification on some of what we thought were abnormal figures and the procurement process for a number of items in the asset register.

"We also need the tender documents and specifications for some of the procured items to confirm the competitiveness of the prices indicated as some appear outrageous," Gumbo told The Standard.

But Monday, the PS sought to 'justify' the purchases, arguing the condom dispensers and vibrators were purchased as part of the ministry's efforts to fight the Aids scourge in the country and among its staff.

"The vibrators were bought for the purpose of demonstrations... Purchase of HIV training tools was a requirement in the performance contract target for the ministry for the year 2013/2014," said Mangiti, who was flanked by his deputy.

He also said the piano had been bought for use by the NYS band and that the photocopier had been acquired through a reputable supplier.

"Going forward, I want to state that the corrected list of non-financial assets acquired by the ministry has been finalised in the prescribed format together with the supporting payment documentation and is due to be presented before PAC as requested," said Mangiti, who kept journalists waiting in his office for over three hours as he prepared his statement.

The PS denied suggestions he was aware of what his bundle contained and that his move at PAC was choreographed. "No, it was not premeditated. It was pure human error," he said.

Questions have arisen on who between Mangiti and Waiguru should take responsibility.