Vetting panel grills officer over Sh1m

By Reuben Mwambingu @reubenmwambingu
A former Mombasa police boss was put in a tight spot after he failed to explain to the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) vetting panel to explain the source of the Sh1 million that was wired into his account and withdrawn within a short period.
Shortly after superintendent Gabriel Nyaga, a former DCIO Mombasa took the hot seat at the Mombasa Government Training Institute (GTI), the panel demanded clarification on his assets and declaration form.
The vetting panelists who finalised their mission in Mombasa yesterday had especially raised queries on how superintendent Nyaga had acquired the Sh1 million and sought more details on the source of the money. The officer told the panel that he was given the cash by his sister-in-law whose he gave the name as Makena, to assist him boost his account and enable him acquire a business loan from Equity Bank.
“Initially I had approached Equity seeking a loan to use it as a capital for my wife’s cereal business, but the bank officials told me my account was insufficient to apply for the loan I wanted. They then advised me to boost my account and that was when I approached my sister-in-law who agreed to give me the Sh1 million in lump sum,” explained Nyaga.
On further interrogation, the police boss told the panel that he did not deposit the money directly to his account in lump-sum, adding that he had to first keep the hard cash at home and deposit Sh200,000 in intervals to maintain a reasonable flow that could convince the bank that his financial capability was stable for a loan application.
In relation to the deposits, the panelists had raised concerns of money laundering as the officer’s source of money appeared to be unclear. Kisauni DCIO Joseph Kioko, who had no further academic credentials apart from his O-level certificate which “he attained in 1976, told chairman Johnstone Kavuludi that he could not progress academically because he was committed to his duties”.
The vetting further established that a number of Senior Superintendent and Superintendent police officers are people born between 1957 and 1959 and were about to retire. Kavuludi said there was a need for the commission to consider the issue and put in place succession plans.