NITA on the spot over mismanagement, missing millions and land row

National Industrial Training Authority (NITA) has been criticised by Members of Parliament over its shallow answers while appearing before the National Assembly Public Investments Committee on Social Services.

Chaired by Navakholo Member of Parliament Emmanuel Wangwe, the committee termed the responses by NITA as shallow and inadequate for the serious queries raised spanning the 2015/2016 to 2017/2018 financial years.

The legislators expressed frustration at NITA’s submissions adding that they were not well organized saying they would not proceed with the committee.

“These submissions are not sufficient and are misorganised,” Wangwe said.

“We cannot proceed with such shallow responses to serious audit queries involving public funds,” he added.

According to the lawmakers, NITA had not adequately prepared for the session and should be given more time to furnish the committee with comprehensive answers.

Appearing before the committee, NITA’s Acting Director General, Theresa Wasike, and her team faced tough questioning over the alleged mismanagement of public funds and assets.

One of the most contentious issues raised was the unexplained allocation of public land in Mombasa to a private developer.

Audit reports revealed that the land, originally belonging to NITA, was handed over to a private entity, while NITA was compensated with alternative land in Bombolulu.

However, the replacement parcel has been occupied by squatters since 1996, leaving the authority without usable land.

“We need to know who this powerful private developer is and under what circumstances this allocation was made,” Wangwe demanded.

NITA officials, however, could not identify the developer or explain the transaction, prompting calls for Parliament’s intervention to reclaim the public land.

The committee also raised concerns over NITA’s budgetary performance, citing the KES 355 million equivalent to 21 per cent of its budget—that went unspent in the 2016/2017 financial year.

Financial irregularities further dominated the session, with MPs questioning Sh12.8 million in missing checks linked to fraudulent activities by a former staff member.

Additional audit concerns included Sh44.5 million in outstanding staff advances and Sh18.3 million in uncollected training levies from defaulting employers.

“These are serious gaps in financial management,” the Committee Vice-chairperson Caleb Amisi noted pointing to unreconciled bank balances with discrepancies dating as far back as 2015.

The audit also flagged poor asset management, citing an incomplete fixed assets register and missing ownership documents for key properties, including land and a motor vehicle donated by UNIDO.

The committee directed NITA to reorganize and return with thorough, well-documented responses within two weeks.

The authority is expected to reappear before the committee early next month.