No SOE rule to pay for ministers – Shiimi

Finance and public enterprises minister Ipumbu Shiimi yesterday said there is “no directive”, in terms of the Public Enterprises Governance Act, for such entities to pay for ministers’ allowances – amid revelations that higher education minister Dr Itah Kandjii-Murangi had parastatals under her ministry funding her trips abroad.

The higher education ministry yesterday confirmed that Kandjii-Murangi has been asking some of the public enterprises resorting under her ministry to pay for her trips abroad, but hastened to add that all money had been reimbursed to those institutions.

The Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) confirmed that it paid N$140 600 in travel expenses for the minister’s trip to South Korea in February.

The University of Namibia (Unam) also acknowledged paying N$310 400 for Kandjii-Murangi’s travel expenses in July 2022.

In March this year, the Namibia National Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco), which falls under Kandjii-Murangi’s ministry, paid over N$22 000 for her trip to New York. This was after her travel allowance from the Unesco global headquarters was delayed.

Yesterday, the public enterprises ministry said no directives had been issued for public entities to fund ministerial travels.

“No directives have been issued in that regard,” Shiimi told Namibian Sun.

Nothing untoward

While admitting that parastatals under the ministry have been approached to fund some of the minister’s travel costs, the higher education ministry yesterday 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 Namibia Training Authority] 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,” the statement said, without pointing at what rules were followed for such transactions.

Hidden agendas

A Cabinet minister yesterday described the Kandjii-Murangi situation as ‘embarrassing’, saying there are hidden agendas in all-expenses-paid trips.

“If you’re a state official, why can’t your country pay for you? If someone is paying for you, there’s something they expect in return.”

The minister, who said the scandal paints everyone in Cabinet in a negative light, said any minister embarking on an all-expenses-paid trip can only claim for ‘incidentals’ from their own ministry, which is at Rate 4.

“Obviously, when you go to New York on Rate 4, it’s a pittance. Many would seek ways to boost that amount with frivolous allowance claims,” they said.

Minister must explain

Weighing in on the matter, Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) executive director Graham Hopwood said Kandjii-Murangi owed the public a detailed explanation over payments of monies into her account.

“She needs to explain to the public what is going on because it seems a very strange arrangement. In general, government needs to clamp down on any possible abuse of S&T [subsistence and travel] allowance. If double payments are being made, they should be investigated by the Anti-Corruption Commission,” he said.

Political commentator Rui Tyitende added that the allegations against Kandjii-Murangi, if true, are serious and enough reason for her to resign.

“If the accusations are true, the minister should have resigned or the Office of the President should have asked her to step aside,” he said.

The situation also raised the question whether there were any controls in place to guide against gratification for the public entities housed under the ministry of higher education, Tyitende opined.

“How is it possible for the minister to ask public entities to finance her trip? What policies are in place or are they under duress?” he wanted to know.

Extra income stream

Tyitende also questioned whether Cabinet ministers were using S&T allowances as an extra means of income, on the basis of testimony by former fisheries minister Bernhardt Esau during a bail application in the High Court last year, when he said ministers can receive up to N$1.5 million per day in travel allowance.

“If we have to consider what Bernhardt Esau said. Are we to imply his former colleagues are doing the same? It is very dangerous terrain we are entering,” he said.