Partners in Crime: John Mwaka, CEO SASRA (Left) & Ms. Mary Mungai, Commissioner for Cooperative Development
Following our appeal for information on the Sacco Societies Regulatory Authority (SASRA) management, we’ve received the first batch of information.
We asked if anyone has information that managers from SASRA could be involved in the looting of Saccos in Kenya.
We wondered why the Sacco sector has just become a den of thieves. We were curious to know if SASRA is culpable in the whole thing and Wholla!.
Kenya Union of Savings and Credit Cooperatives (KUSCCO) is also in the mix.
Below is the story of corruption, Nepotism and Fraud at SASRA that would put Kenyattas to shame.
Hi Bwana Nyakundi, believe you are fine. I wold wish to bring to your attention the above.
SASRA has been and is a very corrupt institution since the year 2012. SASRA started in 2010. Trouble began in 2012 when the former CEO a Mr. Carilus Ademba, now Director of Cooperatives at Homa Bay County. There is a supervision department, with staff who would go out for inspections before a Sacco is licensed, a report would be done, brought back to the office, the CEO would insist the report to be edited if it wasnt lenient to the said Sacco. The report would be edited, and to surprise of staff, they would see the Sacco among those given licenses. Money of course changed hands
Mr. Ademba would be paid by Saccos, the licenses would be bought. he left in 2015. Then there is KUSCCO, the CEO of KUSCCO, Mr George Ototo, was and is Ademba's cousin, Ademba was the CEO there, before ensuring his cousin takes over when he joined SASRA in 2010. Mr Ototo would never rally the Saccos against SASRA in case there’s something they didn’t like, because of their relationship.
So it’s not surprising when we hear of fraud in various Saccos.
The current CEO, Mr. John Mwaka took over in 2015, was confirmed in 2016. The outgoing Commissioner of Cooperatives, Mrs. Mary Mungai, made sure Mwaka takes over as CEO. He didn’t even perform as required in the interviews. A Dr. Muteshi, who was poised to take over as CEO, was sacked in 2015, to ensure he didn’t take that position.
These two, Ms. Mungai and Mwaka, have run down the parastatal.
They organize so many trips abroad, just to collect allowances. In fact, the number of times Mwaka has been in office are fewer than the times he's been abroad, just collecting allowances.
Mr. Ademba employed over half of the staff from his rural home, some without even the necessary qualification, including the wife of Kiminini MP Chris Wamalwa, who was 4th in the interviews, but was employed, leaving other qualified candidates. She was even promoted to Manager without the due process. Mwaka also came in with his people when he took over.
Board members relatives were employed, without even meeting the required minimum academic and uptitude standards.
Any staff who would speak out, was sacked. I was sacked, just because I stood up against Mr. Ademba. Dr. Muteshi was sacked in 2015 just because he stood up against Mwaka.
There are cases at the Employment and Labor Relations Court in regards to wrongful dismissals.
There is a report that was done by Treasury, an audit for some sort after thorough investigations, and found that there were so many things being done against the law. I will share with you that report next week. You can kindly verify this information and get more from people that I have shared their contacts with you, if they will be willing to.
Media reports now indicate that Mwalimu Sacco may have lost a lot of money in buying a local bank that had collapsed, Ademba, the Commissioner of Cooperatives at the time, KUSCCO CEO, PS Songa at the time, were bribed a lot of money to look the other way and approve the acquisition. Various organizations at the time advised against that, even some Senior Managers at SASRA were against it, but what could they say. Now it has come to light.
For the past 3 years, supervisons to the Saccos by SASRA have been so minimal, because there has been no funds, all available funds go to paying the bloated staff, Mwaka, and the Board’s numerous trips abroad.
The current chairman is also complicit in this theft. SASRA only had one serious Chairman, Mr. Gakunu, the first Chair, who really worked hard to ensure things were straight, but was always at odds with Ademba because of Ademba's appetite for corruption.
I will work on getting various documents and reports, but you need to get hold of a report titled SASRA Audit Report by Treasury 2015. It states what has really been happening, and is still happening.