Hi Asaf, I think Steve should convince the board and WMKE members about the expenditure first before he does that to you. I hope that the WMKE chairperson will convene a meeting soon (If possible within 3 weeks) so that we can have the issue sorted and the remaining amount transferred to a joint account. I also hope that this meeting (when convened) will run smoothly. Best Isaac On 9 August 2012 00:59, Asaf Bartov <abartov(a)wikimedia.org> wrote: _______________________________________________ WikimediaKE mailing list WikimediaKE(a)lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediake

** ** ** +1**** ** ** What our chair has (repeatedly) suggested is common procedure in other organisations registered in Kenya. So, let’s go forward with his suggestion! **** (Incidentally, this requires the establishment of an audit committee – or have I missed that happening already?)**** ** ** BT**** ** ** ------------------------------ *From:* David Mugo [mailto:raidarmax@gmail.com] *Sent:* 10 August 2012 09:16 *To:* **The discussion list for the Wikimedia Kenya chapter.** *Subject:* Re: [Wikimedia ****Kenya****] Finances**** ** ** Guys, Like I said before you guys all decided not to listen to me, this is a responsibility of the board, Steve is a member of the board and his actions directly reflect on the board. I am not for the idea of solving issues with meetings where members want to fight. That is not how things run. My suggestion is that Steve should answer to the board on all transactions, then the board can answer the the audit committee who should take up concerns from the members. In the event that his response is not satisfactory or requires action, the said action can be decided either by the rest of the board or the entire team. I am one person who is really getting tired of the push and pull in this issue. PS. No one write me a personal email on this anymore, if you have anything to say, I stand by what i have mentioned in this email, post it to the mailing list. David.**** On Fri, Aug 10, 2012 at 8:59 AM, Kosgei Isaac &lt;kipchogekosgei(a)gmail.com&gt; wrote:**** Hi Asaf, I think Steve should convince the board and WMKE members about the expenditure first before he does that to you. I hope that the WMKE chairperson will convene a meeting soon (If possible within 3 weeks) so that we can have the issue sorted and the remaining amount transferred to a joint account. I also hope that this meeting (when convened) will run smoothly. Best Isaac **** On 9 August 2012 00:59, Asaf Bartov &lt;abartov(a)wikimedia.org&gt; wrote:**** Dear WMKE colleagues,**** ** ** Following the recent conversations around finances, I wanted to make a few comments, hoping the uncertainty can be resolved:**** ** ** 1. We acknowledge it is an unfortunate situation where chapter funds are in anyone's personal bank account. In hindsight, WMF should have insisted a separate bank account be created to wire the money, even if not yet the official WMKE bank account.**** ** ** 1b. Now that that's done, we should seek to transfer the remaining grant funds to a dedicated account as soon as possible: either the WMKE account (if incorporation and the subsequent creation of the bank account seem around the corner -- any updates?), or an interim, joint-ownership dedicated account, with access to _at least_ two board members (one of whom would be the treasurer, of course). It would be good if the WMKE board can decide to pursue that course of action.**** ** ** 2. The current treasurer has sent me his tracking sheet of the grant funds, and it generally looks in good order. I hope the board has a copy too and can review as well.**** ** ** 3. The treasurer did confirm he has made some decisions to spend money (for chapter business) on his own, without board approval, citing previous experience with sending messages to the list and receiving no response for days. This is _not okay_. The way to fix this, now, is for the board to review all those spending decisions and _retroactively_ approve them (unless there's genuine concern about the expense). If there are expenses the board does not approve _per se_ (i.e. on material rather than procedural grounds), the treasurer will have to return those funds to the chapter.**** ** ** 3b. The board would do well to discuss and establish a clear procedure for authorizing expenses. "When it's everybody's job it's nobody's job." Once a procedure is adopted, the board members should _commit to following_ that procedure, as it would be unfair to the treasurer (already doing much unenviable work for the rest of us) to leave his requests hanging.**** ** ** 4. I have no reason to think the current treasurer has otherwise mishandled funds. Unless anyone has material proof to the contrary, we shall assume good faith, and once funds are transferred to a separate account, a full audit by the board can confirm this to everyone's satisfaction.**** ** ** 5. I understood there have been some payments to chapter members for expenses incurred, that have been issued on the understanding receipts will be furnished, but the treasurer is still awaiting receipts from several members. That, too, is _not okay_. Please submit your receipts to the treasurer as soon as possible. If you ever received a reimbursement from the treasurer and you're not sure whether or not you owe any receipts, please contact the treasurer privately to make sure.**** ** ** 6. I also understand there is some confusion about per diem allowances and receipts: the usual way per diems work is that the rate is determined by the board (You can use the WMF travel policy[1] if it helps), and then money is disbursed according to the number of days (deducting appropriate amounts when meals are provided, as in the case of lunches in Berlin and at Wikimania), but _no receipts_ are required. This as distinct from other expenses, which do require receipts. The rationale for this flexibility is that on the one hand there are all kinds of small unforeseen expenses, including (in some places) expenses that don't issue receipts (like the matatu :)), that are not specifically budgeted for in the per diem, and on the other hand the allowance is enough to cover them, without requiring minute record-keeping. This is easier for both sides, and is based on trust and good judgment. But that's just the usual way, and it's fine if WMKE chooses to commit to providing receipts for per diems as well.**** ** ** I hope this helps WMKE move forward toward incorporation and program activity with clarity and confidence.**** ** ** As always, please let me know if there's anything I can do to help.**** ** ** Cheers,**** ** ** Asaf**** ** ** [1] http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Travel_policy -- specifically, guideline 7 under "ALLOWANCES FOR MEALS AND INCIDENTALS"**** -- **** Asaf Bartov Wikimedia Foundation <http://www.wikimediafoundation.org>**** ** ** Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in the sum of all knowledge. Help us make it a reality!**** https://donate.wikimedia.org**** ** ** ** ** _______________________________________________ WikimediaKE mailing list WikimediaKE(a)lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediake**** ** ** _______________________________________________ WikimediaKE mailing list WikimediaKE(a)lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediake**** -- ------------- David Mugo, Adviser to ****Kenya****'s VP on Digital Media & Technology, CEO & Board Chairman, Wikimedia ****Kenya**** http://mugo.me Twitter: @raidarmax**** _______________________________________________ WikimediaKE mailing list WikimediaKE(a)lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediake

Dear WMKE colleagues, On Fri, Aug 10, 2012 at 11:22 AM, Asaf Bartov &lt;abartov(a)wikimedia.org&gt; wrote: It's been two weeks, and I have not heard anything further. Has this been resolved yet? Is there progress with setting up a dedicated joint account, for the interim until WMKE is fully incorporated? Thanks, Asaf -- Asaf Bartov Wikimedia Foundation <http://www.wikimediafoundation.org> Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in the sum of all knowledge. Help us make it a reality! https://donate.wikimedia.org

Thanks Asaf , for bringing this up , Was not privileged to attend the Saturday meeting but persuaded to believe it dint achieve much .There has been considerable noise on the matter of accountability of WMKE funds ,which is very healthy and can not be wished away . Permit me to use this forum to address the Board members whom members entrusted responsibility , there is work cut out for you ,We need you to steer us through this murky waters. your priority should be; 1.Set up a dedicated joint account for WMKE funds ASAP 2.Finalize the incorporation thing ,its unfortunate that Abbas who was taking care of this & has since left ,who i must applaud for his immense contribution . And finally someone please update me on the status of the audit committee ,is in place ? if this is not done pretty soon we shall be asking ourselves ,...When did the rain start hitting us ? my concerns ,with love! bruce. On 8/25/12, Asaf Bartov &lt;abartov(a)wikimedia.org&gt; wrote: members. been account, _______________________________________________ WikimediaKE mailing list WikimediaKE(a)lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediake

Oscar , Thanks for addressing this matter that is threatening the future of WMKE , by your own admission things are not looking good, i even din't know Grace has left the group ,For our info Grace & Abbas were just NOT ordinary members but founder members who contributed immensely to its project & were in charge of various ongoing projects within WMKE ,we don't want to see an exodus of members ,do we ? Its wrong for anyone to try imagine that this matter can be swept under the floor ,When you guys assumed office we thought there will be a deliberate effort to speed up incorporation of WMKE , Questions ,Whats holding us/you from creating a joint account for WMKE as most of us are in support of the same ? ,What is the status of the incorporation ,We rooting for incorporation because other than defining roles ,We all know there are projects that involved WMKE relating with government & non governmental organizations which cannot be possible if we are not a legal group. I don't know the procedures of calling for a meeting ,but i once again want to appeal to our chair to come up with a date ,soon is a proper word ,to address this issues ,we still believe in the board members ,but you should not continue behaving like its business as usual while people are opting out , Bruce, A volunteer WMKE. On 8/27/12, Limoke Oscar &lt;oslimoke(a)gmail.com&gt; wrote: to members, Critiqued, main failure other _______________________________________________ WikimediaKE mailing list WikimediaKE(a)lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediake