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    Home»Corruption»EACC Probing Kericho County Govt Over Procurement Irregularities, Embezzlement Of Funds
    Corruption

    EACC Probing Kericho County Govt Over Procurement Irregularities, Embezzlement Of Funds

    Joseph MurayaBy Joseph MurayaNovember 8, 20214 Mins Read
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    NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 8- The Kericho County Government is on spot over alleged embezzlement of funds running into hundreds of millions of shillings and procurement irregularities.

    Already, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has sought clarification in a letter to County Secretary Joel Bett.

    The period in question covers the financial years 2014 to 2020/21 according to the letter seen by Shahidi News.

    At the centre of the EACC investigations is the county government’s dealings with four companies- Pulp Construction Company limited, Minget Solutions limited, Lel Timber Products Enterprise limited and Pali Capitals limited.

    The four companies are said to be associated either with individuals employed by the county, their relatives, or friends in what amounts to a conflict of interest.

    “To facilitate our investigations, kindly provide us with the original documents relating to the tenders and payments to the mentioned companies,” EACC Deputy Director of Forensic Investigations John Lolkoloi said in a letter dated October 27, 2021.

    The documents demanded by the EACC include the procurement plans and budgets during the period, requisitions from user departments, tender advertisement notices, bank tender documents, and invitations to tenderers.

    Bid documents submitted by tenderers, tender opening, and evaluation registers, appointment letters of tender opening, evaluation and award committees, minutes of tender opening, evaluation and award committees, professional opinions from the head of procurement, and notification of award and regret letter are also required.

    Further, the commission is demanding that the county government avails signed contracts, engineers’ inspection reports, payment vouchers with attachments, conflict of interest register during the period, and any other document relevant to the investigations.

    The entry of the EACC into the irregular dealings at the county government comes even as the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) is yet to produce a report over how the County Government questionably awarded Delta Equipment limited an Sh42.3 million tender.

    The tender was for the supply of an ambulance and a utility vehicle.

    This is notwithstanding that the PPRA investigations were launched last year.

    On July 14, 2020, Thomas Odhiambo, the manager in charge of Complaints, Investigations, and Enforcement at PPRA, wrote to the county seeking to be furnished with all the relevant documentation used in the award for the supply of ambulance and utility vehicle.

    “Submit your response and proof explaining how the procuring entity complied with the provision of Section 74 (1) (i) of the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act of 2005,” Otieno said in the letter to Bett on the tender that was awarded on May 4, 2020.

    The section provides that the accounting officer shall ensure the preparation of an invitation to tender that sets out requirements of serialization of pages by the bidder for each bid submitted.

    However, to date, PPRA is yet to provide its findings into the investigations more than a year down the line.

    The investigations were triggered after Toyota Kenya filed a complaint to the PPRA claiming that it was denied the tender unfairly despite being the lowest bidder at Sh35 million for the supply of three ambulances and one utility vehicle.

    Toyota Kenya sought to have the tender re-evaluated and awarded fairly.

    At the time, the County Assembly of Kericho was also investigating the circumstances under which Delta Equipment limited was awarded the tender.

    In a statement, nominated MCA Abdul Kassim requested the County Assembly to establish whether the county has lost money relating to the supply of the vehicles.

    “The county should provide a copy of the letter of award for the bidder who won the tender,” Kassim said after claims that the company that won the tender on May 4, 2020, may have used fictitious documents.

    Among the questionable documents in our possession that the company is alleged to have used to win the tender include a Local Purchase Order (LPO) and recommendation letters from ‘clients’ it claims to have done business with.

    An Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) generated LPO that the county government sent to Delta Equipment limited shows that the company was to supply one ambulance at Sh34.5 million.

    The LPO is dated May 13, 2020.

    The county has also committed to paying the company Sh7.8 million to supply a Truck caravan for outreach programmes (utility vehicle), which is captured on May 7, 2020, IFMIS generated LPO.

    The two LPOs would later be approved for payment on May 19, 2020.

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    Joseph Muraya
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    Joseph Muraya is a Journalist Based in Nairobi Kenya with a decade of experience in Security, Human Rights and Governance Reporting. He has trained both in Kenya and abroad. Muraya is passionate about promoting welfare and mental health of journalists. He is the current Secretary General of the Crime Journalists Association of Kenya.

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