Shollei blames CJ for questionable Judiciary tenders

Former Judiciary Chief Registrar Gladys Shollei wants Chief Justice Willy Mutunga to take full responsibility for the procurement scandals that dogged the Judiciary during her tenure.

Mrs Shollei also shifted responsibility for sanctioning payments for some of the expenses that have been queried by the Auditor-General to the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) sub-committee on Finance and Administration.

Mrs Shollei was appearing before the Public Accounts Committee Thursday to answer queries raised by Auditor-General Edward Ouko over suspect deals at the Judiciary worth at least Sh645 million.

The former Chief Registrar accused the JSC of interfering with her work as the administrator of the Judiciary, adding that the buck should stop with the commission.

She told the committee that the Finance sub-committee chaired by lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi took over the role of approving expenditures despite her protest to the CJ.

“They were very powerful. I wrote a letter to the Chief Justice and another to the Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich informing them that the JSC had no role in approving expenditures. I only got an email letter from Dr Mutunga telling me that he was not a ‘headless head’ of the Judiciary,” said Mrs Shollei.

Mr Ouko’s report, prepared for the Parliamentary Accounts Committee, accused Mrs Shollei of authorising payment for goods and services in advance, contrary to the law, and settling suppliers dues of Sh262 million without proper approval and documentation.

READ: Sacked Shollei among Judiciary bank signatories

It also criticises the JSC, accusing it of interfering with the Judiciary’s operations. The report alleges that Mrs Shollei, as the accounting officer, presided over the opening of bank accounts without the necessary approvals from the Treasury.

The JSC is alleged to have demanded that people who are not members of the commission be paid Sh80,000 as sitting allowances yet they were entitled to only Sh10,000.

A total of Sh9.8 million was paid out in this manner while Sh1.6 million was paid in allowances for meetings that had not been legally constituted, the report states.

The committee was shocked to hear that the Judiciary hired and paid for 43,000 square feet of office space, which it did not occupy.

The committee also learnt that a Sh310 million mansion meant for Dr Mutunga’s official residence has not been occupied.

Elgon House, which is fully furnished to host the Court of Appeal, is also disused after judges refused to occupy it on health grounds.