Nairobi County government Sakaja |
This was revealed in the quarterly report by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) which covered the reports forwarded to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (ODPP) during the period between April 1, 2024, to June 30, 2024.
According to the commission, the tender was advertised and the contracts were awarded to the eight companies on the same day, a violation of the 14-day waiting period in line with the public procurement laws. “It was also established that the LPOs were signed and issued out to the Suppliers without a preceding acceptance of the awards, in violation of the public procurement laws,” read part of the report.
Further, the contracts were signed without the presence of an accounting officer who is mandated to assess the quality of an LPO (Local Purchasing Order) agreement.
On June 3, 2024, the commission forwarded the file to the ODPP to charge the relevant persons involved in the procurement process with 14 offences.
This includes six counts of corrupt practices in procurement processes, two counts of willful failure to comply with the law, and one count of uttering false documents.
EACC recommended the signed contract to be cancelled and disciplinary proceedings to be issued against those involved.
On July 26, 2024, the DPP returned the file and recommended administrative action to be taken against the suspects.
By Brian Kimani