Scandal Unveiled: CS Kindiki’s Ksh1M Gift to Garissa University Sparks Police Arrests and Fund Mystery
Just one month following Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki’s donation of Ksh1 million to Garissa University, the institution appears to be embroiled in a controversy concerning the management of the funds.
During a conversation with PoliticalPulseChat on Wednesday, Steven Okeyo, the Secretary General of the Students Association, revealed how mishandling a portion of the funds resulted in some students being taken into police custody.
The CS visited the institution on November 13 to celebrate the recently established tree-planting holiday. During the visit, the CS generously donated Ksh1 million to the institution’s students, intending for it to be used for the students’ entertainment expenses.
During a phone discussion with this author, the institution’s ex-student President Aden Rage Abdul disclosed that they delivered the funds to the vice chancellor, who then instructed them to independently devise a plan for its utilization.
That night, according to Okeyo’s claim, the student leaders convened and decided to remove Ksh500,000 from the fund that was being overseen by the institution’s security.
“We got advised by the Head of Security alongside other staff to keep the money in safe lock in the university finance office to give us room for planning and budgeting. The key to the safe lock was handed over to the university president,” he stated.
Six of the student leaders were granted Ksh50,000 individually, with one student receiving Ksh60,000, resulting in a remaining sum of Ksh640,000.
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The ex-president of the institution confirmed the allegation that the student leaders kept the money meant for their service. The group, eligible for a monthly payment of Ksh7,500, had worked for over three and a half months without receiving any compensation.
The following day, the student leaders gathered to organize an event for the entire student community, he claimed but discovered that the remaining funds were nowhere to be found.
“On the morning that followed, November 14, I went to class, I got a call from the security head to report to him somewhere near the university administration block. When I got closer, I found a handful of police officers waiting for me in a Landcruiser,” Okeyo recalled.
“Fear consumed me and back to class, he instructed the police officers to come and eject me. They informed me that all the money was missing from the safe lock. They arrested me and put me under custody until 3 pm when the President (of the student association) came and took us to the OCPD to write a statement.”
Okeyo claims that the police commander gave the go-ahead for their proposed party using the remaining Ksh640,000 that was recovered. However, Rosalia Mumo, the Dean of Students at the institution, reportedly intervened and stopped the plans.
Subsequently, all student leaders were instructed to reimburse the money they had granted themselves. However, as per Idris Dekow, the institution’s Head of Security, only two, including Okeyo, were unable to fully repay the sum. Dekow provided this information in response to inquiries from PoliticalPulseChat during a phone conversation.
Dekow verified that most of the student leaders have given back the funds, resulting in a refund of 90 percent. There are only two individuals who still need to complete the reimbursement.
“90 percent has been recovered. Two individuals have not surrendered what they took. The problem remains that a crime has been committed. We took it to the police and the matter was reported and a committee has been set up to investigate the same,” stated Dekow.
The ex-president of the student body, who has completed his studies, contends that following the arrest of certain temporary leaders, the police asked for Ksh90,000 as bail. Conversely, Okeyo asserts that although he offered to reimburse Ksh20,000, having collected the remaining Ksh30,000, the university rejected his suggestion.
The other students who knew about the gift became increasingly impatient when the party was delayed. They tried to take action against the student leaders after discovering that some of the funds were missing, but fortunately, no one was hurt.
Okeyo, however, claims that since the accusations were made, he has borne the brunt of deregistration and was unable to sit the semester examinations which kicked off last week Friday.
“Up to now, the security head deregistered me from the system and ejected me from the university, exams started on Monday am not able to do exams,” he lamented.
Mumo, in a text message to this publisher, denies that any candidates were deregistered from the system.
“Am (sic) not aware of any students who have been deregistered,” she stated without elaborating.
Scandal Unveiled: CS Kindiki’s Ksh1M Gift to Garissa University Sparks Police Arrests and Fund Mystery
