- Maasai Mara University has been given two weeks to address nine outstanding audit queries dating back to 2018.
- MPs faulted Vice-Chancellor Prof Peninah Aloo-Obudho for appearing without key finance, procurement and legal officers.
- The committee deferred newer audit reports until outstanding matters from earlier financial years are addressed.
A parliamentary committee has deferred consideration of recent audit reports on Maasai Mara University after a tense session that saw Vice-Chancellor Prof Peninah Aloo-Obudho come under sharp criticism from lawmakers over the composition of her delegation.
The National Assembly Public Investments Committee on Governance and Education, chaired by Luanda MP Dick Maungu, was scrutinising Auditor-General reports covering the university’s financial affairs from the 2018/19 to 2024/25 financial years.
The meeting on Thursday, August 27, turned heated after MPs noted that key technical officers, including the finance, procurement and legal officers, were absent despite an earlier directive requiring the university to appear with officials capable of responding to audit queries.
Kiminini MP Maurice Kaikai Bissau accused the Vice-Chancellor of being uncooperative during the proceedings and insisted that the committee had a responsibility to examine every audit concern raised against the institution.
Igembe Central MP Daniel Karitho also questioned why the university had appeared before the committee without its substantive finance officer and members of the council, particularly given that some of the queries related to previous administrations.
Kasipul MP Boyd Were, the committee’s vice-chairperson, sought clarification on the circumstances surrounding the finance officer’s compulsory leave.
Prof Aloo-Obudho explained that the officer had been placed on compulsory leave by the university council to facilitate investigations into matters under review.
She said the decision was part of a process that had been ongoing since the previous year and maintained that the officer had not been sent away with critical information needed by the committee.
MPs, however, raised concerns over the timing of the leave, noting that it had reportedly been effected only two days before the university was scheduled to appear before Parliament.
Missing technical officers
The committee further faulted the university for failing to present procurement and legal officers, saying their expertise was necessary to address several technical issues contained in the Auditor-General’s report.
The Vice-Chancellor said the university had interpreted the committee’s invitation differently, citing an earlier warning against appearing with an excessively large delegation.
Her explanation did not satisfy the lawmakers.
“Your team is not well composed,” Bissau told the university delegation, stressing the importance of having officers with direct knowledge of the matters under investigation.
Chairman Maungu subsequently cautioned Prof Aloo-Obudho against what he described as hostility during the proceedings, reminding her that the committee was conducting a formal parliamentary inquiry.
The chairman later directed the Vice-Chancellor to take an oath, citing her apparent anger and outbursts during the session.
Nine audit queries
At the heart of the inquiry were nine outstanding audit queries dating back to 2018. They include questions surrounding contracted services, unsupported cash balances, irregular allowances, alleged overpayment of car allowances, omitted bank balances, unsupported foreign travel and training expenditure, irregular medical expenses and high employee costs.
The Auditor-General’s representative told the committee that the university had not formally responded to the outstanding queries.
Prof Aloo-Obudho disputed the claim, saying the institution had documentation addressing some of the concerns, particularly those covering the period between 2018 and 2022.
However, Maungu insisted that the committee could not move to newer audit reports before establishing that earlier matters had been conclusively addressed.
Previous administration revisited
The inquiry also brought the tenure of former Vice-Chancellor Prof Mary Walingo back into focus. Walingo served as the university’s Vice-Chancellor from 2014 until August 2019, a period that included the events surrounding the controversy popularly referred to as the “Mara Heist”.
Walingo told the committee that she had not been invited by the current university administration to assist in responding to audit questions relating to her tenure.
The proceedings highlighted differences in how the two administrations had handled issues inherited from previous years. Prof Aloo-Obudho, however, denied having a personal dispute with her predecessor and apologised to the committee over the manner in which the session had unfolded.
The committee ultimately directed Maasai Mara University to work closely with the Auditor-General’s office to address the nine outstanding queries.
The university has been ordered to return before the committee in two weeks accompanied by the relevant serving and former officials who can provide answers to the audit concerns.
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The committee also deferred consideration of the university’s 2023/24 and 2024/25 audit reports until the older queries are resolved, putting renewed focus on the institution’s efforts to account for financial decisions spanning several years.
By Jeff Kirui
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