Ex-State House man who had no control over his NYS deputy

When he walked along the corridors of Parliament Buildings recently, Nelson Githinji seemed like a man bearing the weight of the world on his shoulders.

The expression on his face was that of a man who had seen it all and who had graciously accepted his fate in the middle of a storm. He was here to answer questions from lawmakers whose committee work allows them to audit the public accounts.

As photographers rushed to get the perfect shot of the former director-general of the National Youth Service (NYS), he seemed unperturbed.

With a cool and reserved demeanour, he took to the hot heat in Committee Room 9, a seat on which many hot shots in government and in the business sphere have sat on at one time or the other.

This is the room where the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chaired by Rarieda MP Nicholas Gumbo is conducting probe into the alleged theft of Sh791 million in what has become known as the NYS scandal.

A number of allegations had been made against him, including that he attempted to manipulate the systems at the NYS with the intention of stealing public money.

“I take this opportunity to distance myself from the incredulous allegations by Adan Harakhe,” were some of his first words when the meeting was called to order.

Mr Harakhe, the former deputy director-general at the NYS, had claimed that Dr Githinji’s wife, relatives and friends were owners of companies that were set to benefit from attempted looting of Sh695.4 million at the NYS.

In his submission to the PAC, Mr Harakhe narrated how former Devolution principal secretary Peter Mangiti and Dr Githinji fought his efforts to stop the illegal payments of Sh695.4 million.

In his defence, a calm and articulate former DG said the names listed by Mr Harakhe were nothing but his own imagination.

Dr Githinji said Mr Harakhe ignored him and reported directly to former Devolution and Planning secretary Anne Waiguru, an arrangement that was in breach of his appointment letter.

“Mr Harakhe’s claims are false since I am not aware of any mechanism at the NYS that would see me reserve business slots for my family and friends,” Dr Githinji said, adding that he never served as a member of the Ministerial Tendering Committee during his tenure at the NYS.

Back to May 2014 when Dr Githinji took over at the NYS. The takeover was clouded in confusion and controversy in equal measure.

His predecessor Japhther Kiplimo Rugut was handed his redeployment letter a day after Dr Githinji took office and introduced to staff in the absence of the incumbent.

At the time, preparations were on to host Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang’s visit to Kenya on May 10, 2014 at the NYS.

Mr Rugut told the PAC the message of his redeployment came when he was preparing to brief the ministry on issues at the NYS and discuss on the main talking points for the meeting.

When Dr Githinji, a veterinary surgeon by training, had barely settled in at the NYS, consumer lobby Consumers Federation of Kenya (Cofek) was on his case.

In an open letter to Dr Githinji, Cofek stated sarcastically that his new appointment was the best thing that ever happened to politicians and “indeed you will be the envy of many suppliers and contractors.”

The letter continued: “Your phone must have started ringing unusually overtly in the name of congratulatory messages but covertly, it is about scheming for the huge pie.”

The appointment came after renewed interest by the Jubilee Government in the NYS, a parastatal that almost fell apart into the depths of oblivion.

Dr Githinji’s appointment was the subject of a major political controversy with some saying it threatened the stability of the ruling coalition.

It did not go down well that he was from the same ethnic group as Ms Waiguru and President Uhuru Kenyatta. By this time, anger was boiling over key government appointments that were perceived to be benefiting one or two of the 42 ethnic groups in Kenya.

Prior to his appointment as the NYS boss, Dr Githinji had served as State House Comptroller from 2009.

He became the first official occupant of the position whose influence had been whittled down substantially when former President Mwai Kibaki split the roles of the State House Comptroller into two.

Dr Githinji, who describes himself as a selfless public servant, was thus responsible for finance and administration at the house on the hill.

Prior to the appointment as State House Comptroller, he had enjoyed a sterling career spanning 19 years in the private sector in various leadership roles.

He had served as head of sales and marketing, government relations, public policy, public affairs and community relations at Coca-Cola Africa.

He also worked with GlaxoSmithKline as group product manager (Food & Beverages) between 1994 and 2002.

In November 2015 when the heat at the NYS became too much to bear, Dr Githinji stepped aside to give room for investigations.

“With a clear conscience, my respect for the rule of law and our Constitution and with my abiding faith in our judicial system, I have decided to step aside as the director-general of National Youth Service. My stepping aside will allow me to focus on protecting my long record of selfless public service,” he said.

His remarks came after the Director of Public Prosecutions Keriako Tobiko ordered his prosecution following accusations that he tried to block a probe into a conspiracy to steal Sh695 million alongside Planning PS Peter Mangiti.

The NYS inquiry continues in Parliament.