ACC to summon Kandjii-Murangi over S&T
Minister’s PA also summoned
Despite its defensive tone in the matter earlier this year, the anti-graft body has upped the tempo in the minister's travel allowance saga.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) last week summoned the personal assistant of higher education minister Dr Itah Kandjii-Murangi as part of a probe into allegations that the minister has been abusing her powers to solicit travel allowances from public entities under her ministry.
ACC director-general Paulus Noa confirmed this, and said the minister herself would be summoned to answer to the allegations.
“The [personal assistant] was summoned to appear [last] Friday and thereafter we get to the minister or any other person, depending on what will transpire during the course of questioning,” he said.
In July, the ACC said it will serve summons to respective heads of the public enterprises that funded Kandjii-Murangi’s trips to depose affidavits and confirm proof provided to the agency by the ministry.
Both the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) and University of Namibia (Unam) confirmed availing travel allowances to Kandjii-Murangi of N$140 600 and N$310 400 respectively.
The Namibian reported in July that the Namibia Training Authority (NTA) also paid N$119 500 for an official trip to London.
A further N$54 850 was paid by the NTA to Lungenesia Uaseuapuami, the minister’s personal assistant.
Natcom involvement
Another institution under the higher education ministry that paid for Kandjii-Murangi was the Namibia National Commission for Unesco (Natcom). Namibian Sun previously reported that Natcom stepped in to pay the minister’s allowance in the United States of America after payment from the global Unesco office, which invited her to that country, was delayed.
Kandjii-Murangi was expected to reimburse Natcom, but months after the payment was made, she still had not paid back the money.
Records show that the commission paid over N$22 0000 into Kandjii-Murangi’s personal bank account, and she received another US$1 000 (about N$18 850 at yesterday’s exchange rate) from Unesco headquarters. Both payments were made during March. This also included S&T for her personal assistant.
‘Nothing untoward’
Finance and public enterprises minister Ipumbu Shiimi in July said there is “no directive”, in terms of the Public Enterprises Governance Act, for such entities to pay for ministers’ allowances.
“No directives have been issued in that regard,” he told Namibian Sun.
While admitting that parastatals under the ministry have been approached to fund some of the minister’s travel costs, the higher education ministry at the time insisted that there was nothing untoward about such requests.
“When organising events or attending activities within our functional scope, the public institutions as well as the ministry approach each other to assist in covering costs related to these activities or events,” it said in a statement.
“Unam, NUST and the NTA respectively were approached to assist the ministry in paying for the honourable minister, and after the resources were made available to the ministry, the public enterprises were refunded accordingly,” it read, without pointing at what rules were followed for such transactions.
ACC director-general Paulus Noa confirmed this, and said the minister herself would be summoned to answer to the allegations.
“The [personal assistant] was summoned to appear [last] Friday and thereafter we get to the minister or any other person, depending on what will transpire during the course of questioning,” he said.
In July, the ACC said it will serve summons to respective heads of the public enterprises that funded Kandjii-Murangi’s trips to depose affidavits and confirm proof provided to the agency by the ministry.
Both the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) and University of Namibia (Unam) confirmed availing travel allowances to Kandjii-Murangi of N$140 600 and N$310 400 respectively.
The Namibian reported in July that the Namibia Training Authority (NTA) also paid N$119 500 for an official trip to London.
A further N$54 850 was paid by the NTA to Lungenesia Uaseuapuami, the minister’s personal assistant.
Natcom involvement
Another institution under the higher education ministry that paid for Kandjii-Murangi was the Namibia National Commission for Unesco (Natcom). Namibian Sun previously reported that Natcom stepped in to pay the minister’s allowance in the United States of America after payment from the global Unesco office, which invited her to that country, was delayed.
Kandjii-Murangi was expected to reimburse Natcom, but months after the payment was made, she still had not paid back the money.
Records show that the commission paid over N$22 0000 into Kandjii-Murangi’s personal bank account, and she received another US$1 000 (about N$18 850 at yesterday’s exchange rate) from Unesco headquarters. Both payments were made during March. This also included S&T for her personal assistant.
‘Nothing untoward’
Finance and public enterprises minister Ipumbu Shiimi in July said there is “no directive”, in terms of the Public Enterprises Governance Act, for such entities to pay for ministers’ allowances.
“No directives have been issued in that regard,” he told Namibian Sun.
While admitting that parastatals under the ministry have been approached to fund some of the minister’s travel costs, the higher education ministry at the time insisted that there was nothing untoward about such requests.
“When organising events or attending activities within our functional scope, the public institutions as well as the ministry approach each other to assist in covering costs related to these activities or events,” it said in a statement.
“Unam, NUST and the NTA respectively were approached to assist the ministry in paying for the honourable minister, and after the resources were made available to the ministry, the public enterprises were refunded accordingly,” it read, without pointing at what rules were followed for such transactions.
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