DPP Keriako Tobiko joins NYS probe, plot thickening for Waiguru

The likelihood of prosecution over the hacking of government computers at the National Youth Service increased on Wednesday after the public prosecutor joined the investigation.

Mr Keriako Tobiko, the Director of Public Prosecutions, has asked the chief of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, Mr Ndegwa Muhoro, to give him the files and findings on the hacking of the government financial system called Ifmis.

Serious questions had been asked about financial transactions at the Ministry of Devolution, with the Central Bank querying the payment of tens of millions of shillings within a short time.

In defending her ministry, Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru said officials had detected an attempt to hack into the computers and authorise illegal payments of nearly Sh700 million. She also said she had asked Mr Muhoro to investigate.

Ms Waiguru is currently in Colombia to receive an excellence award on behalf of the government for service in the public sector.

Yesterday, Mr Tobiko asked Mr Muhoro to give him the files upon completion of investigations to enable him take “appropriate action”.

“From media reports I understand that you have commenced investigations into the matter at the request of Cabinet secretary, Devolution and Planning. I write, therefore, to request that at the conclusion of the ongoing investigation, the resultant inquiry files be forwarded to this office for perusal and appropriate action,” said Mr Tobiko.

Detectives from DCI headquarters have been on the case since June 5.

Investigators have since established that passwords of key officials were used to make illegal entries into National Youth Service computer systems, which could have resulted in the theft of Sh695,400,000.

An audit showed the questionable entries were supposedly approved by newly appointed NYS senior Deputy Director-General Aden Harakhe. He has denied doing so.

The report also reveals that a Mrs Regina Nyambura Mungai submitted the entries but she has also denied any involvement.

“Consequently, it’s only the cyber-crime report which can prove contrary by identifying forensically the IP address of the particular computer used to make the entries,” investigators concluded in a report by the Banking Fraud Unit (BFU).