MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 2016
Former Devolution Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru, who has declared that she is worth Sh160 million. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Former Devolution Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru has declared her wealth, indicating that she is worth Sh160 million, including assets and liabilities.
In an interview on Citizen TV on Sunday, her first since she quit office, the embattled ex-CS also indicated that she was already living a good life before she joined the government.
She indicated that she had already bought a house in Runda Estate and was driving a Mercedes Benz.
In an interview done at her home in Kitusuru, Ms Waiguru said she was modest and not super-rich as portrayed in posts on social media and other media outlets.
She said she is a hardworking woman who had worked at the World Bank before being recruited by the Treasury, where she was picked by President Uhuru Kenyatta to join the Cabinet in 2013.
“In terms of assets, maybe, counting this house which is on loan, maybe Sh160 million. My house in Runda, this one and maybe a few others which are maybe Sh10 or 15 million and then liabilities are about Sh80 million, so really the net value is nothing significant to write home about,” said the former minister.
She also said she enjoys haggling over the prices of items when she shops.
“I do not pay more than Sh2,500 for my shoes and I bargain for them. My friends know this. Some even have to top up Sh200 or more to make sure I go home with the shoes. You can ask some of them even those whose sell to me know it,” she said.
As to whether the family owns an Aston Martin, as purported in posts on social media towards the end of her stay in office, Ms Waiguru categorically said they don't own such a vehicle.
“We do not have such kind of money to buy such a car,” she quipped.
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She also said she did not enjoy any special relationship with President Uhuru Kenyatta despite insinuations to the contrary when she was in office.
Ms Waiguru resigned in November following days of pressure from the opposition, to pave the way for investigations after reports of embezzlement of money in her ministry and in the National Youth Service (NYS).
However, she said she was still resting after the tumultuous period that saw her hold several press briefings to try to cool down rising political temperatures in the country over the fraud.
The once powerful minister still maintained that she did not steal a coin and accused politicians of targeting her instead of the sins in the ministry.
“Everything was about me. The story was about me not the challenges at the ministry. It is totally different from the Eurobond issue. You do not see people attacking Rotich like they were attacking me,” she added.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission is conducting investigations into the scandal and raided Ms Waiguru’s house in December last year as they searched for evidence.
Before leaving office, Ms Waiguru had said Sh791 million had been fraudulently paid to companies that supplied the NYS.
During the interview, she said she was the whistle-blower who had been victimised for doing her job.
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