The Senate Select Committee that was investigating impeachment motion against governor Ann Waiguru has found that there was gross mismanagement of tenders in their report.
In the report tabled in Senate today, the committee however said that it could not link the governor to the mismanagement of the tenders.
Instead, the committee recommended that the officers who constituted the committees that mismanaged the tender step aside and the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) and Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission (EACC) investigates the matter.
The two overly mentioned officers include the governor’s former PA Ms Pauline Kamau and Mr Gichira Wayne.
“The Committee notes that in the documents filed and during the hearing, the County Assembly did not draw a nexus between the Governor and the appointment of either Ms Pauline Kamau or Mr Gichira Wayne to a tender committee. Indeed, Mr Carilus Otieno, as the head of the county procurement unit, confirmed that the Governor had not taken part in the formulation of any tender committee,” the report tabled in Senate noted.
Read: Is Overly Mentioned Pauline Kamau In Waiguru Impeachment Hearing The New “Kabura”?
However, the Committee noted that the circumstances under which Pauline Kamau was recruited raised a lot of questions. Ms Pauline Kamau, according to the findings, was not qualified to hold the office of Director of Administration and further that her recruitment was pushed through by the Governor.
The County Assembly stated that the County Public Service Board was coerced to issue recruitment letter.
“This however does not bar her from being appointed to serve in a tender committee. For Gichira Wayne, he was the Governor’s staff appointed by the County Public Service Board for the term of the Governor. According to the principles of public service, there could be a breach.,” added the report.
The governor was also accused of using her office to improperly confer a benefit to herself when she was irregularly paid travel allowances by way of imprest amounting to Ksh10,634, 614 without travelling.
Read: Senate Drops Impeachment Motion Against Governor Ann Waiguru Over ‘Insufficient’ Evidence
On the charge, it was found that the governor only surrendered the imprest for the trips that were cancelled on April 17, 2020 after the motion for impeaching her had already been filed at the Assembly.
“The Chief Officer/Accounting officer must comply with the requirements as to the surrender of imprests,” recommended the committee, without recommending further actions.
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