Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Reprieve for Kimunya as De La Rue debate shelved


Reprieve for Kimunya as De La Rue debate shelved

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Transport minister Amos Kimunya got more time to lobby MPs over an indictment by a parliamentary watchdog committee August 29, 2012.
Transport minister Amos Kimunya got more time to lobby MPs over an indictment by a parliamentary watchdog committee August 29, 2012.  NATION MEDIA GROUP
By ALPHONCE SHIUNDU ashiundu@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Wednesday, August 29  2012 at  18:37
IN SUMMARY
  • Martha Karua (Gichugu) interrupted debate in the House so that Parliament could discuss the riots and killings in Mombasa.
  • Report asks Parliament to approve a resolution that finds Mr Kimunya and Central Bank Governor Njuguna Ndung'u unfit to hold public office.
Transport minister Amos Kimunya got more time to lobby MPs over an indictment by a parliamentary watchdog committee.
Mr Kimunya's reprieve came after Martha Karua (Gichugu) interrupted debate in the House so that Parliament could discuss the riots and killings in Mombasa.
The eager lawmakers had turned up in large numbers to debate the report of the Public Accounts Committee on the Sh1.8 billion loss to the money-printing firm, De La Rue.
The failure to debate the key report –which will open the doors for a shift to the new generation notes—has made bankers and businessmen uneasy. They have complained to The Treasury saying that the currency in circulation is “dirty”.
The Permanent Secretary, Treasury Joseph Kinyua had written to the Speaker seeking his intervention, to have the matter expedited.  
Deputy Speaker Farah Maalim had also ordered that the matter be discussed Wednesday, but that order was not kept.
The chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Dr Boni Khalwale (Ikolomani) had succeeded to have the debate listed as the first item after the Prime Minister’s Question Time. Dr Khalwale had tabled Mr Kinyua’s letter to push his case.
“The letter is from the Treasury and the Treasury is asking us to expedite the issue of De La Rue because the currency which is currently in circulation is dirty and is a threat to the health of consumers of currency,” said Dr Khalwale.
“Given this grave matter of national importance whereby if this is delayed further, you have the challenge of the public that handles this currency, and two, you have the challenge that the Central Bank of Kenya cannot go ahead and make any other interim order because the issue of loss of public funds through interim orders is the reason why the Chair directed that our committee deals with this matter,” the Ikolomani MP had said on Tuesday.
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In their report, the committee has asked Parliament to approve a resolution that finds Mr Kimunya and Central Bank Governor Njuguna Ndung’u unfit to hold public office, given that their conduct is not in line with the chapter on Leadership and Integrity in the Constitution, and the Public Officers Ethics Act.
“The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission should investigate them with a view to taking appropriate legal action against them and recovering lost funds,” the MPs noted in their report.
This is the second time that Mr Kimunya is on the chopping board in the House.
Prof Ndung’u, who survived censure in the House earlier in the year for mismanaging the depreciation of the shilling, will once again bank on his allies in Parliament to have his name cleared. Prof Ndung’u was indicted by the presidential commission of inquiry that investigated the secret sale of grand regency hotel.
The committee is irked that Mr Kimunya lied to the committee that the country had in fact saved Sh3.8 billion when the figures from the Auditor General showed a different story.
The cost of printing the 1.71 billion pieces of banknotes at De La Rue was Sh3.8 billion; the interim orders for printing banknotes, as the Central Bank awaited the conclusion of that contract comes to Sh5.5 billion.
Yet, Mr Kimunya told the committee that over three years, printing the 1.71 billion would have cost the taxpayer Sh8 billion.

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