CONCERNED KENYAN CITIZEN, CORRUPTION AT ITS PEAK AT TANA AND ATHTRIVERS DEVELOPMENT 5 AUTHORITY (TARDA), a Following the state of nation address by bis exvellency the President and the subsequent a ‘eiease of corruption dossiers for the various individuals who bold public offices, I~ strongly feel the above mentioned state Parastatal has been highly omitted as the public. funds are misused on a day to day basis, Consider the flowing scenarios ; ‘The organizations is headed by Mc. Steven Githaiga since 22nd April 2013 in the position of AG. Managing Director fo date’The following are some of the key “underdealings in the institution which is facing financial difficulties in mecting both its recurrent and development expenditure, a 4. Employment and upgrading of staf despite a freeze on the same by the government. 2. Nepotisim and favouritism. 3. Lease of 10,000 hectares of land for rice production at the Yana Delta Igation Projecto BrakenAgricultural 4d 4. Award of the tender for feasibility study for Munyu Multi-Purpose reservoir and. ie _gnater Kibweaitrigation project ata total cost of Kshs 347,714,630 10 Nat Constlt Consulting Engineecs. “The lease of land was to Braken Agricultural Limited whose ownership is traced te -Mr-Peter Kirugua, the Chairman of Kenya Forestry Service (KFS) was awarded ‘controversially. Word has that Mr. Steven Githaiga the TARDA AG.MD foreed the evaluation committee headed by Mr, Samuel Gitouga and Joseph Karanja of procurement to ensure tha? other bidders who had panticipated likeUnifresh Exotic, Kotecha ane Sons did not qualify from tke preliming»y valuation so that Braken ¢sild ‘ave its way. Uniltesh later went to court over the matic:. Experts believe this ous to have been carried out under the Public Private Partuership (PPP) frameworkas the lease component is a parameter under the the PPP motel.Ihe other case is of Muayu Multipurpose re-ervoir and greater Kibweziturigation former Chaitman of TARDA Engineer Peter:N. Muturi whose term af TARDA expired in ‘mid-2014 and there isan indication that his daughter Ms Sylvia Ndegwa who sits in the tender committee might also bave influenced the decision to award his father firm. The tender was awarded at Kshs 347,714,640 (tLree forty seven million seven fourt thousand six forty) and the Authority only bad a budget of Smillion. Currently the projects stuck as management are contemplating how to get the money from the government, ‘A tender was also awarded forthe sapply and commissioning, ofa bailer system for Tana Delta Irsigation Projeet (DIP) and which was never supplied despite the organization having made an advance payment of close to kes 3 million. The framework for advance payment was not complied with. ‘The composition of the tender committee is skewed to one direction and even mothertongue can be used to transact the meetings. Recently the Chairman of the tender commitice Mr, Permenus Mukekn was fired and replaced with Engineer Joseph Karanja whose integrity is still boing. questioned after he was among the officers who had embezzled the Eeonomic Stimulus Plan(ESP) funds and the case is still ongoing, \with the former MD Mr. Francis Agoya and Director of, RegionalDevelopmentAuthorities Mr. Charles Mwanda currently facing craft charges at the Anticorruption court while Mr. Githaiga and some of his managers still at wark Dearing in mind that at the time of the graft;he was the Deputy Managing Director. He was reinstated even before investigations were concluded by BACC. The question is, shy is he in office while others he were suspended with are fighting their innocence in courts of law. The entive tender committee compotion as follows: 1. Bhgineer Joseph Karauja Chairman 2, Mr. Joh Nycike- Vie Chairman 3 MsPamaris Kare Morb4, Mr. Jackson Muirari-Member shoki-Mem ‘Ms Sylvia Ndegwa- Member Engineer Philip Langat - Member Mr, Liban Dubs - Member Mrs, Irene Ndavi- Member 10, Mr. Wyeliffe Sava- Secretary Based on regional balancing, there are more officers who are in the rank of being, qualified to be in the tender committe but they are wot ‘Upgradting and promotion is done by the MD himself which is un procedural and against the national treasury circular No.9/2039 reference ES.1/03 dated July 26,2013 on the ‘guidelines for implementation ofthe budget for the financial year 2013/14 and which frove all new recruitment (with the exceptions of teachers, lecturers, health workers and police). The MD has unilaterally upgraded and promoted close to fifty employees. In ‘dition, he has employed lose to forty new employees. Most ofthe upgrading are purely from one community defeating the logic of equal opportunity in appointments. [Notable igured in the promotion and upgrading are his brother John Githaiga (0420),his daughter Beatrice Githaiga (o8go), human resources manager sister,Damaris k “Neliho( 0390), former chairman daigghter, Syvia Ndegwa (0840), Mr John Nyoik Jackson Muiruri, Mr-2. Kamo among many others. Itis believed that this has lead to ‘TARDA having a big problem in meeting the monthly obligations of paying the salaries asits own generation of revenue Appropriation Tn Aid (ALA) is extremely too low to eater for the increased salaty budget. Among those recently upgraded is Mr. John Nyoike who is the AG. Chiei Manager for ‘Fiuouce and Accounting but those privy to him are questioning his qualicatious. Staff disciplinary cases are deait with by him unilaterally without any input of the ‘buman resourees, An examgle isthe suspension of project manager at the tana delta tsiggtgn pojeet(TDIP) Me, Benj Mako, Others who have foe the wrath ofGithaiga iuclude;Mr. Erastas Mugo and Mr. Mugambi who were all project managers ia Kieanbere and Kitui projects respectively Tire teal servlces TatgURT WHS STS RACET AT late last year without subjecting her to the board committee which needs to handie such cases because the officer is in the rank of management. She was ater reinstated in late February 201, Allthe above issues are done by the MD on protext that he is well connected at both state honse and the office of the deputy president, which hes made most ifnotall staff to fear bim and consider him as un disputed leader. NB. ‘TARDA fullboard mieton 31st March 2015 in respect to deliberations of the organization structure and approved it which manayement fad not participate in. the AG. MD effected the organization structure immediately and letters of appointments to the chief managers were issued on ast Apel 2015. Procedurally, this cught to have gone ‘rough the parent ministry of Bnvironment Natural Resouces and Water and even to national treasury as it has a budget implications. Also the freeze on employment and “uperading is stil frozen. ‘ ‘2, The qualifications of the AG.MD are highly questionable, His certificates are ‘up. They don’t make any professions and academic sense, 4g. Tae AG. MD changed his name from Mr. Stephen Maina Githaiga tothe current Mr. ‘Steven Ruimul Githaiga after he was implicated in the misappropriation of economic stimulus fonds (ESP) in 2010 so that his identity cold not be captured when verifying his details at the CID offices 44, The AG, MD has on soveral occasions taken salary advances and not paid back. 5. Hehas approved a salary advance for Ms, Thus Enhances Irunga(o380) of Kes 300,090 “vith a monthly repayment of. Kes 2,500. The employee is believed to be his coufidaate sand yet he is not qualified to get sueb an amount. Salary advances should be cleat al “within one-year from the date of aoquistions. 6. Affirm associated with the MD supplies meat products» TARDA Masiuga resort club, “Atthe same time a firm associated with U.e human rex. ances manager supplies detergents atthe same resorts. 1s this net conflict of interest. ‘Acireutas dated s6th April 2014 from salaries and remuneration conmiision referenced adding SRE/ADM/CIR/1/19(422) gave dear guidelines on the payments to board members,