Head of Procurement at NYS Mtongwe on the spot over tender irregularities
Corruption allegations are back yet again at the National Youth Service Mtongwe in Mombasa after details linking the procurement desk to corruption and tender irregularities emerged.
Documents available have linked Head of Procurement Salome Kasichana and her junior in the department Dominic Mackenzie to numerous irregularities at the institution.
The two have reportedly made it a habit to canvas for kickbacks where every applicant has to part with a 10 % cut.
An investigation into supply of commodities for tender number NYS/PROC/003/2025-2027,NYS/PROC/008/2025-2027,NYS/PROC/004/2025-2027,NYS/PROC/007/2025-2027,NYS/PROC/012/2025-2027 AMONG many others has unmasked the rot at the NYS branch.
An insider at the branch has revealed that after learning that she will be found out through investigations, Salome faked the theft of her laptop and other valuables.
“She faked the theft to evade the investigators who are fully aware of the games being played here,” the insider said.
The NYS Mtongwe has now plunged into rising pending bills with Salome, working closely with the finance department collaborating to pay ghost supplies and exaggerated payments at the expense of genuine suppliers.
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An investigative officer following up on the corruption allegations at the Mtongwe branch has also revealed that several payments have been made for stalled projects and that NYS assets at Mtongwe are at risk.
The NYS Mtongwe branch has continued to defy procurement and tendering regulations despite several warnings from oversight bodies.
The NYS Mtongwe branch is one the oldest and biggest in the country and has always admitted thousands of youths.
But it has been dragged down by the vicious cartel led by Salome: always exaggerating and manipulating quotations for payments where inflated invoicing is becoming a regular trend.
We have established that the tendering rules are always tilted to defraud unsuspecting bidders who have to initially part with Sh100,000 to just have their bids considered.
