A past session of Parliament. Prime Minister Raila Odinga has told the House no money set aside for Kazi kwa Vijana project has been lost November 2, 2011. FILE
By NJERI RUGENE nrugene@ke.nationmedia.com AND ALPHONCE SHIUNDU ashiundu@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Wednesday, November 2 2011 at 22:30
Posted Wednesday, November 2 2011 at 22:30
Prime Minister Raila Odinga weathered a political storm in Parliament on Wednesday as he answered questions over alleged loss of money in the Kazi kwa Vijana programme. (Read: PM office denies money loss claim)
Addressing MPs during the Prime Minister’s Question Time, Mr Odinga said no money had been lost and accused MPs of attempting to create a scandal where there’s none.
“Which scandal? As far as I am concerned there’s none,” Mr Odinga told Ikolomani MP Boni Khalwale.
But he said audit questions had been raised on the use of Sh308 million in the first phase”. “I do not condone any kind of corruption or misuse of funds. It is, however, completely far-fetched to conclude that KKV I was a total failure on the basis of matters affecting just 4.08 per cent of the total,” the Prime Minister said.
Mr Eugene Wamalwa (Saboti), who had sought the statement from the PM, was interrupted repeatedly by MPs supporting or accusing Mr Odinga of impropriety.
Mr Ababu Namwamba (Budalang’i) and Lands Minister James Orengo accused the Saboti MP of pursuing the matter for political gain.
But Youth Affairs assistant minister Kabando wa Kabando warned some backbenchers were overstepping their mandate in defence of the PM.
Rein in sycophancy
“Is it in order for a member of the backbench, who has no responsibility in government, to arise and interrogate another backbencher, who is interrogating the Prime Minister? I think we need to rein in sycophancy that is derailing the debate, the sycophants are known and they are standing,” he said.
This sparked uproar and House Speaker Kenneth Marende asked Mr Kabando to withdraw the word ‘sycophants’, which the MP promptly substituted with “exceedingly and excessively loyal to the extent of being blind”.
In a rare fit of anger, Mr Marende told MPs that “they had no right to dictate the way things run in Parliament and if you persist, I will not be your Speaker”.
Top officials of the Office of the Prime Minister, among them permanent secretary Mohammed Isahakia, Chief of Staff Caroli Omondi, the deputy chief economist John Musale and KKV project coordinator Rachel Gesami, were mentioned adversely in the disappearance of Sh171.2 million from the programme.
“Can you account for it, and if you can’t, you have to take political responsibility,” said Dr Khalwale, who chairs the Public Accounts Committee.
The Ikolomani MP meets World Bank and Auditor General officials over the scandal today. He asked the PM to explain why Ms Gesami ‘had paid herself Sh5.2 million’, and demanded that she refunds the cash.
But Mr Odinga said a Treasury audit had not implicated his office in any loss of money, adding that his staff only supervised and coordinated the work of ministries and did not implement projects.
“The line ministries have accounting officers. They are responsible and they are accountable,” Mr Odinga said.
Dr Julius Kones (Konoin) said the PM was fixated with percentages, when more than Sh300 million was missing.
“Give me Sh300 million and I will run my constituency for the next term without requesting for CDF,” Dr Kones said.
Ms Millie Odhiambo, (Nominated, ODM) said she had no “apologies for being the Prime Minister’s sycophant”. She said the audit raised questions on ‘ineligible expenditure’, which ‘was not corruption.’
But Dr Khalwale fought back saying: “Ineligible expenditure is expenditure that was not planned for; was not voted for and it is therefore misappropriation and thus corruption.”
Open bank accounts
He questioned why Dr Isahakia wrote to line ministries on July 18 advising them to ask the youth to open bank accounts with a specific institution at ShSh300 each.
This, Dr Khalwale said, enabled the bank to get 200,000 accounts, when under normal circumstances the opening of accounts in that bank was usually free.
The PM said the Sh300 charge was to show that the youth were serious. He said the controversy over ineligible expenditure was a case of accounting vis-à-vis the World Bank spending policies.
“It is a misunderstanding and we have agreed to refund the World Bank. The ineligible expenditure ought to be paid using the GoK funds. It is not a loss, it is confusion in terms of accounting and we’ll address it by making internal controls,” Mr Odinga said.
He accused Dr Khalwale of selectively reading names of the 47 officers named in the audit report.
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