Transparency International (TI) Kenya has condemned the Public Service Commission’s (PSC) decision to reinstate embattled Maasai Mara University Vice Chancellor Prof. Mary Walingo, which was announced on Tuesday.
Transparency International said in a statement on Wednesday that Walingo’s return to power is an insult to Kenya’s constitution and, more specifically, the ethical and moral values that govern civil servants’ assumption of office.
“It has come to our attention that PSC has today reinstated Prof. Mary Walingo to her former position as Vice Chancellor of Mara University. We hold that her reinstatement is an affront to the ethical and moral values of our constitution,” TI Kenya wrote.
TI Kenya has also urged the Judiciary and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) to expedite investigations into Walingo’s graft case, which has been stalled since 2019.
“We call upon the Judiciary and the ODPP to expedite the Mara Hesit corruption case because other whistleblowers involved in the case, who unfortunately lost their jobs, deserve fair hearing,” said Transparency International.
Walingo was sent on mandatory leave in 2019 after being implicated in a Ksh.177 million corruption scandal.
She and four other commissioners were accused of irregularly withdrawing funds from the University’s coffers on various dates between 2016 and 2019. She was suspended to allow for an investigation into the allegations.
Walingo was succeeded by Prof. Kitche Magak after her dismissal, who was later replaced by Joseph Chacha in January 2022.
PSC CEO Simon Rotich directed in a statement on Wednesday that Walingo be reinstated to her position pending a hearing in the Anti-corruption case until her contract is terminated in accordance with the law.
Rotich also ordered that Walingo be paid half of her salary and allowances from the date of her suspension.
