One of the arguments given to prove that NYS money was stolen is Josephine Kabura’s sudden rise from a ‘mere’ hairdresser to a millionaire. Within a span of a few months, her accounts moved from having Sh650, to handling withdrawals of tens of millions a day. Kenyans could not understand how Kabura, believed to have been Anne Waiguru’s hairdresser could pull that one off.
By labelling her a ‘hairdresser’, it appears that members of the profession felt looked down upon.
Ashleys Kenya, a major player in the industry, has released a press statement condemning the Parliamentary Accounts Committee, media houses and all interested parties for using the term.
”We strongly condemn the manner in which Josephine Kabura is constantly being referred to as a ‘mere’ hairdresser either presently or in the past.” reads part of the statement. ”Please do not degrade a profession that employs so many Kenyans – especially the youth and one that contributes huge sums in taxes.”
Kabura is one of people suspected of stealing at least Sh791 million.
Source- nairobiwire.com
About National Youth Service scandal
The National Youth Service Scandal was a corruption scandal within Kenya’s Ministry of Devolution and Planning. Ksh. 791 million ($7,650,000) is said to have been stolen from the ministry’s coffers, with some saying that figure could have been as high as Ksh. 1.8 billion ($17,400,000).
In September 2015, Kenya’s director of public prosecutions asked Waiguru[non sequitur] to record a statement over the disappearance of Ksh. 791 million from the ministry of Devolution and Planning. Public Accounts Committee chairman Nicholas Gumbo said he was looking into the ministry’s accounts in which the ministry had bought overpriced items including condom dispensers for $250; a television set worth Ksh. 1.7 million ($17,000) and sex toys.[1] Waiguru denied these allegations on her Facebook page saying that she is not involved in the purchase of anything for the ministry. She said that no money had gone missing from the ministry’s coffers.
On 22 November 2015, Waiguru stepped down from her cabinet position following pressure from the public and the opposition on her role in the scandal. There was also additional pressure from some members of the Jubilee Alliance, of which she was a member, who viewed her as a political liability. She said that her doctor had advised her to step down as the pressure negatively affected her health.
In February 2016, she was cleared by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) on all charges.[3] However, in March 2016, EACC Chairman Phillip Kinisu said that there had been errors in clearing Waiguru. He stated that these errors had been as a result of a communication breakdown between government agencies.
Deputy president, William Ruto, initially defended Waiguru saying all accusations against her were false and that they were the creations of the opposition to paint the government as being lax in fighting corruption.[5] He later retracted this statement and said that Waiguru should take responsibility for the millions that went missing in her ministry.
Others mentioned in the scandal include Josephine Kabura, Ben Gethi, Adan Harakhe, Mutahi Ngunyi and Kipchumba Murkomen.
Source-https://en.wikipedia.org/
Ashleys Condemns Kenyans for Referring to Kabura as a ‘Mere’ Hairdresser
