Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) head of human resources Boaz Ouko has blamed a Ksh100 Million loss in taxes on a computer error.
Mr Ouko claimed that the monies were lost after computer passwords belonging to former employees were used to access and release goods from the port.
According to the head of HR, logs belonging to retired employees Ms Rose Musau and Ms Florence Lagat were not deactivated by the IT department on time.
"The officer who signed and stamped clearance certificates of the two from information and technology department should have deactivated their passwords immediately," Ouko told Mombasa Senior Principal Magistrate Francis Kyambia on Monday.
[caption caption="Officials inspect Kenya Ports Authority's newly-acquired cranes"]
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The officer was testifying in a case where 31 people, among them KPA employees and Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) employees and traders, are charged with conspiring to evade tax.
Ouko defended himself saying that the members of the IT department did not express any difficulties, therefore, they may have colluded with perpetrators.
"Prior to this incident I had not received any complaints from the IT department. I have not come across a case where passwords of retired employees are still active long after they are gone.
"Someone must have been assigned the work. HR cannot be blamed for what happened. We are involved in the recruitment of staff but we don’t assign passwords," he told the court.
He further distanced himself from the incident stating that he only learned of the irregularity with passwords when he was called to give a statement by KRA officials.
"We have no revenue collection department under KPA. It is not our responsibility to collect customs duties, let someone else be blamed but not HR," he maintained.
[caption caption="A number of job seekers camped outside KPA offices during a past recruitment exercise"]
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