The National Quality Control Laboratory director yesterday told a Senate committee how signatures and IFMIS password were forged to access Sh30 million.
Hezekiah Kibet told the Senate Committee on Health a person he did not name approached supplies chain manager Irene Mukami and told her Sh30 million meant for the institution is lying in the account.
Kibet told the committee chaired by Migori Senator Wilfred Machage at Parliament Buildings that Mukami was instructed by the official to make vouchers to show they were genuine.
He told the committee the official went ahead and made his deputy Pius Wanjala Authority to Incur Expenditure on IFMIS, where Sh18.2 million was stolen.
“It came to my attention on May 19 after I submitted pending bills to the Finance chief officer that the payment to the companies was not genuine. The head of procurement confessed that she was told there was money in the account that needed to be spent,” Kibet said.
“She has written evidence in the form of a letter detailing what happened.”
Wanjala said the IFMIS password was created in his name without his knowledge.
Earlier on in the committee, there were indications that Health CS Cleopa Mailu might have leaked the internal report at the ministry which exposed massive embezzlement of public money.
Head of internal audit at the ministry Bernard Muchere said he shared the report with Mailu on August 29 after he requested for it. Muchere told the committee he checked all avenues in his office and found no evidence that the report was leaked from his office. “I can authoritatively say the report never leaked from my office. I’m not aware who leaked it,” he said.
Muchere told the committee he alerted the CS on the irregular diversion of Sh350 million, some Sh515 million meant for the National Aids Control Council and how Sh265 million was paid to Cooperative Bank of Kenya.
The auditor said the interim report was purely meant for planning by the management.
“The CS requested me to carry out the audit and hand over the report to him. I did not share the report with anyone, not even the PS,” Muchere said.
He said during the audit his office had a difficult time getting information from the accounting and procurement departments.