By Monica Kagia

Former Technical University of Mombasa (TUM) Vice Chancellor Josephat Mwatela has denied involvement in the purchase of five smart television sets that allegedly cost the institution over Sh4.7 million.

Mwatela, who is now the Kilifi County Executive Committee member in charge of Roads, told Mombasa Chief Magistrate Edna Nyaloti that his deputy at the time Awadh Binhazim, authorised the tender committee to purchase the TVs.

Mwatela was sacked by the then Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i after the university council found him guilty of eight out of 10 charges levelled against him leading to his suspension on January 28, 2016.

An audit report by the Auditor General in June 2018 disclosed the institution purchased five TV sets each at Sh.950,000 and had over spent Sh292 million on various items against the total budget allocation.


Mwatela in his testimony told the court that he signed the minutes that allowed the purchase of the said TV sets. 

He, however, could not explain how the Tender committee purchased the said TVs instead of “Smart Board” as indicated in the minutes.