Solve suspect Sh6.3bn diversion from eCitizen
The revelation that a whopping Sh6.3 billion may have been diverted from eCitizen, the official digital government revenue collection platform, to a private bank, is puzzling.
It has also raised concerns over the security of public funds and the system’s control.
What is even more surprising is National Treasury Principal Secretary Chris Kiptoo’s disclosure that the account into which the money was transferred in a private commercial bank was opened without his authority. He says he got wind of it and immediately froze it.
That was good, but it is an indication of the vulnerability of public funds.
However, this is not the first such scandal. There have also been allegations of the diversion of billions in Kenyan Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) revenue to private Swiss bank accounts.
A special audit by Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu revealed the suspect transfer of the large sum of money from the eCitizen platform to an unauthorised private bank account.
The National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is investigating the apparently unauthorised diversion of the government revenue from eCitizen. An account in the name, Pesaflow, was opened at Equity Bank, and the eCitizen funds “irregularly deposited” in it.
The PAC now wants the bank’s management, Attorney-General Dorcas Oduor and the owners of Pesa Flow Limited, Goldrock Ltd, Olive Media Limited, Webmasters Kenya and Electronic Citizen Solutions, which are the agencies involved in the collection of revenue through eCitizen, to appear before it.
The substantial amount in government revenue was funnelled into the private account, which had not been approved by the National Treasury. The MPs see this as an illegal ‘digital takeover’ of government revenue collection.
This case has triggered fears of the possible massive misappropriation of public funds. The money should be quickly recovered and channelled to the right place. All those involved in the racket should be required to shed more light, and a thorough investigation should be carried out to get to the bottom of it.
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