Angela Angwenyi, former Nation FM radio host, already paid Sh90m in NYS scam
Former radio presenter Angela Angwenyi was yesterday grilled over a Ksh302 million contract that her consultancy company won from the Ministry of Devolution.
Ms Angwenyi, the CEO of Out of the Box Solutions and former Nation FM presenter, was asked to explain how she landed the lucrative tender by members of the Public Accounts Committee and show what the company did to deserve the payment.
Auditor General Edward Ouko in a special audit report on the accounts of the National Youth Service(NYS) had questioned the hefty payments to the firm which was among other private companies that did business with the ministry. Out of the Box Solutions Ltd won the tender to conduct sensitisation campaigns targeting women, youth and persons with disabilities, under the Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPRO) programme.
At the time Ms Angwenyi was still a presenter at Nation FM, which has since been closed. She left September last year and retired from radio. This has exposed what is open secret in media circles, where journalists collude with government officials in tendering. In return, the government officials involved get a slice of the money and positive publicity in that media house.
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During the session, Ms Angwenyi told members of the National Assembly watchdog committee, that she has only been paid 30 per cent of the amount that had been agreed in the contract. “We only have been paid Ksh90,737,607, which is 30 per cent of the total amount agreed, upon presenting approval documents of the campaign conception,” explained Ms Angwenyi.
It’s not yet clear whether he exit from media is linked to the NYS scandal, which initially touched on a Standard newspaper reporter, Mwaniki Munuhe.
Ms Angwenyi disclosed that she did 60 per cent of the work, and is yet to receive the remaining amount, several months after completing the work. Her admission prompted MPs to wonder what action the company boss has taken since January, when she finished part of what was agreed . “We have written to the Ministry, we are waiting for their response,” she said.
The committee chairperson Rarieda MP Nicholas Gumbo took issue with the manner in which the tender was awarded, pointing out that the huge amount involved meant that the person who won the contract must have been a top professional. “I have vast experience in the media. My company which was registered in 2010 has done several jobs and projects for top clients. I had the strength and experience to execute the tender,” she said. She however did not turn up with all documents and was directed to furnish the committee with them.
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