Margaret Nyakang'o, the budget controller, said she was asked to transfer billions of shillings just days before the 2022 general elections.
Nyakang'o told the Parliamentary Public Petitions Committee on Tuesday that she was threatened to approve Ksh.6 billion for Telco acquisitions and Ksh.9.5 billion from the annuity fund just days before the August 9 elections.
The budget controller produced what she alleged was a conversation between her and former Treasury CS Ukur Yatani. According to the panel on August 4, 2022, at 2:13 pm, CS Yatani wrote to Nyakang'o, saying, "Good Afternoon, please also facilitate similar approvals for infrastructure ministry for amounts of Ksgs8B (sic) and Ksh.2.B."
At 3:33 pm, the person is said to have sent her a photo with the message, "Please help us expedite this."
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A minute later, Nyakang'o received another email with the following message: "H.E. might even call you if we don't deal with this by 4 pm.
Margaret responded, "Are you saying we have 26 minutes to complete the process?"
The purported conversation document shows the person writing: "He's just called, and I assured that I had spoken to you and that you promised by the end of the day."
He allegedly followed up at 3:37 pm, saying: "I know he will call you again. He persuaded some guys to return to work and promised to pay their bill by today."
Margaret then said “The timing requires up to tomorrow as I am still out of the office,” and in a message said to have been sent at 3:39 pm, Yatani allegedly told the budget controller that she needs to devise how to deal with it ending with "I am sorry but try.”
When asked why she couldn't refuse the alleged coercion, Nyakang'o told the committee that "it is not a black-and-white, yes-or-no" situation.
"There are very many things that we have to weigh before you arrive at that decision. But what I am saying is that there are loopholes that need to be assessed and my office needs to be protected," she said.
