NYS on the spot yet again over misappropriation of funds and wasted by unscrupulous employees after RUTO’s move – Look!

 

Thursday, June 15, 2023 – It appears President William Ruto’s move to sack Matilda Sakwa as the National Youth Service (NYS) Director General and replace her with his fellow Kalenjin James Tembur has made things worse at NYS.

This is after it emerged that unscrupulous employees are looting NYS coffers with impunity.

National Assembly’s Public Investments Committee on Social Services Administration and Agriculture grilled the new Director General of National Youth Service (NYS) James Tembur and the Head of Finance, Francis Ndegwa over misappropriation of taxpayer funds and wanton wastage at the agency.

The committee chaired by Navakholo MP Emanuel Wangwe took the officials to task over graft claims while seeking answers on how employees alleged to have duplicated roles have been misusing public funds.

The MPs questioned the irregular payment of gratuities totaling Ksh7,532,909 to former Director General Richard Ndubai although he is facing an ongoing court case.

Notably, the former DG was let go from the service after several corruption cases and is facing charges over the Sh8 billion scandal at NYS.

Furthermore, committee members were concerned over the irregular appointment of a procurement specialist who was paid ksh6,777,680 for a two-year consultancy contract.

The MPs also sought clarification on why a particular accused officer received a monthly basic salary of Ksh332,040, which significantly exceeds the maximum threshold of Ksh315,700 recommended by the Public Service Commission (PSC).

Another issue raised by the committee was the unsupported expenditure on fuel, oil and lubricants at the service, amounting to Ksh49 million.

The Committee further observed that the sampled payment vouchers related to the fuel provision were unaccounted for, primarily due to the absence of a signed contract agreement between NYS and the suppliers.

The officials were also grilled on the discrepancies and inaccuracies highlighted in the Auditor General’s report, which raised significant concerns over the misappropriation of public funds at the agency.