Kenyan Bulletin has learnt that the Asset Recovery Authority has profiled the properties and bank accounts of suspended Maasai Mara Vice Chancellor Prof. Mary Walingo and others that aided in looting the coffers of the academic institution.
The government wants the bank accounts frozen and properties taken up by the state, through a coutt order that is being sought.
AN expose’ run by Citizen TV exposed the corruption at the institution where over Ksh200 million (documented, at least 190 million) was looted through dubious and creative accounting.
The VC, her driver Noor Abdi, and another staffer Anaclet Okumu withdrew large sums of money from various bank accounts held at different local banks. The three have since denied the charges.
Walingo was sent on compulsory leave, after a whistleblower identified as John and one Spencer Sankale, who had served as the acting finance officer before his demotion in August 2017, exposed ill deals.
The whistleblower worked at Maasai Mara University as the acting finance officer when his colleague fell sick.
He stepped in for Spencer Sankale Ololchike who had been diagnosed with a bone malady condition.
John narrated how by the time he came into the picture, cashiers were withdrawing money in millions of shillings unprodecurally.
He recalled how they would be called by the then vice chancellor’s driver, Noor, to go to write cheques without any authorisation.
John recalled how at one time, he was called and told to prepare cheques for Ksh8 million where he wrote seven to eight cheques of around Ksh900,000.
Properties
He added that from the fortune, the vice-chancellor’s driver started changing vehicles and bought one worth Sh3 million. He also built a palatial mansion.
The VC on her part, had a vehicle worth Sh16 million which she used to move from Narok to Nairobi.
John said the driver was on permanent and pensionable terms, adding that when Prof. Walingo came in, the driver was in Grade Four earning about Sh30,000 but by the time of the expose, he was earning about Sh200,000.
“The scheme of service had to be changed to accommodate an executive driver,” the whistleblower said.
He added that what also shocked him was that whenever one would go to the VC’s office, the driver would be there making every deal.
When visitors get in, the driver was the one mediating, advising the VC and it was like he was everything to the VC. It is suspected, the driver was having sex affair with the suspended VC going by the influence he had at the institution. Prof. Walingo multimillion private residence is to be taken by the state.
John blamed the vice-chancellor for the mess, saying she was the chief accounting officer who authorised and approved payments.
He said when withdrawals are made without following procedure they must raise eyebrows.
On why the banks never raised a red flag on all the activities, John said there was a form that the cashiers would fill while at the bank explaining what the money was for.
They would cheat the money was for university operations, teaching practice or payment of casual workers.
Another reason was that the university had been giving banks fixed deposits on short term so the bank manager would obviously want such business and would not ask many questions.
On whether the theft affected the running of the university, John said at the time there were no drugs in the clinic and in addition there were so many pending claims.
Some part time lecturers had not been paid since 2017.
Suppliers had also not been paid and they would be told there was no money which affected the university’s operations to a great extent.
On whether he tried to raise these concerns, John said they were being threatened.
He added that the VC had spies everywhere in hotels and one could not even talk for he or she risked being killed, fired or victimised.
He said there was no way the VC or the university could come up with an activity that equals that amount of Sh100 million spent.
He noted that for one to make withdrawals or write cheques, there must be documentation like LPO or LSO.
In the absence of any other documentation one cannot withdraw.
Staff who resisted were demoted including vocal lecturers.
