How key public watchdog turned into a gravy train

Public Accounts Committee Chair Ababu Namwamba

Allegations of extortion and bribery within parliamentary committees did not begin with the suspended Public Accounts Committee (PAC) which is under investigation.

It is an old story of big money, greedy politicians and the lingering threat of adverse mentions and parliamentary sanctions. The only difference now is that it is MPs complaining that their corrupt colleagues are taking all the loot.

From the Goldenberg scandal, Anglo Leasing, controversial sale of the Grand Regency Hotel (now Laico Regency), the white elephant that is KenRen fertiliser factory, the De La Rue money-printing contract, to the audit of questionable government expenditure, allegations of corruption have been flying within PAC, a key watchdog committee in the National Assembly.

Against this background, it is not surprising that PAC and its besieged chairperson Ababu Namwamba (Budalang’i) have their fair share of explosive reports – the hiring of luxury jet for the Deputy President, the missing Sh2.9 billion of confidential expenses and the multi-million-shilling purchase of bogus election material—all of which have been accompanied with claims of cash changing hands.

Some committee predecessors were however bold, unwavering and steadfast to flash out corruption, name and shame powerful Cabinet ministers and other officers implicated in graft.

In the Tenth Parliament, the PAC chairperson Boni Khalwale – then Ikolomani MP, and now Kakamega Senator — sensationally claimed that an MP had approached the committee with a Sh1 million bribe to alter findings of the controversial money-printing contract that had been awarded to De La Rue.

It later emerged that the said MP, who is still serving in the Eleventh Parliament and in the same committee, had been bribed with over Sh11 million, but he pocketed the rest.

When Dr Khalwale and his team declined to alter the findings, the MP changed tack and was seen in the corridors and the parliamentary exclusive lobby dishing out between Sh20,000 and Sh200,000 to individual MPs in a move that saw the PAC report thrown out.

The scandalous Goldenberg saga which has been the longest running scandal in Kenya was investigated under Jaramogi Oginga Odinga’s chairmanship. Kijana Wamalwa later took over from Jaramogi as PAC chair with an uphill task of pushing the report on the floor of the House.

The chief architect behind the Goldenberg scandal was businessman Kamlesh Pattni. It will be remembered that just before Jaramogi’s exit, PAC had written a damning report on Goldenberg that was to be tabled in Parliament.

The report had extensively captured the illegality of the scam recommending that all the money that had been acquired illegally be returned and perpetrators prosecuted. But this report was never tabled in Parliament.

Instead, Wamalwa who had just taken over as PAC chair was asked by then Speaker Francis ole Kaparo to reconvene a meeting with committee members and revisit the Goldenberg scam afresh.

PAC members were summoned amid sharp divisions and questions arising on why the issue was being re-visited.

Members voted on whether to clear the suspects in the scandal or have them prosecuted. Four members were against letting the suspects go scot free while four supported their clearance.

Wamalwa voted for the exoneration of Pattni and all those involved rendering Jaramogi’s report null and void.

Former Subukia MP Koigi Wamwere, who was also a member of PAC in 1981 alludes to the fact that indeed PAC has over the years been seen as a powerful tool in the fight against corruption with powerful forces including the government of the day doing everything they can to suppress it.

“During my time as a member of PAC, corruption was alive just as it is today. I know of MPs who were offered bribes to expunge information from crucial reports. Of course some took bribes and some did not,” he recalls.

He adds: “Remember every government tries to do everything to influence PAC because it has more information on corruption than anyone else.”

The former MP says PAC, being a watchdog committee, pauses a huge headache to every government of the day with powerful individuals always trying to have it disbanded or have a ‘weak’ chairperson.

He describes his time in Parliament as a period when MPs sitting in PAC suddenly acquired flashy cars thanks to millions of shillings they received in bribes.

“Our chair at that time would openly tell us that if you do not make money while still in the committee then you will die a poor man. It was no longer an issue for him to ask committee members to take advantage and cut deals,” he says.

But Wamwere attributes the current happenings in PAC to ‘failure by Mr Namwamba to openly and strongly exonerate himself from blame’ further tainting the image of the committee.

“It is either he (Namwamba) has been bribed and is suffering as a result of his mistakes or there could be powerful forces determined to remove him because he is deemed as a threat to the government in terms of corruption,” Wamwere explains.

In an interview with The Nairobian, former MPs who served in key watchdog committees say the ongoing controversy in Parliament has lowered the stature of the Namwamba-led committee as a custodian of public welfare.

Musikari Kombo who pioneered the first public Investment Committee in 1992 in the advent of multiparty politics and later pushed for the establishment of Anti-corruption and Economics Crimes Committee an equivalent of PAC says corruption is a big betrayal for Kenyans.

Former South Migirango MP Ominga Magara who sat in the PAC in the Narc regime tabled a report that unearthed loss of billions of shillings in the Anglo Leasing scandal.

“There are two things you cannot do at the same time. You cannot chew and speak at the same time. In my committee we chose to speak,” Mr Magara said in regard to corruption allegations in PAC.