Kaimenyi faces MPs’ wrath over cancelled laptop tender

Education secretary Jacob Kaimenyi risks being the first Jubilee Cabinet minister to be axed after Parliament yesterday vowed to censure him over the controversial Sh24.5 billion school laptops tender.

The Education, Science and Technology committee said it is preparing a Motion to censure the former university don for withholding crucial information on the procurement of 1.28 million laptops for Class One pupils.

The MPs asked President Uhuru Kenyatta to sack Prof Kaimenyi for holding the committee in contempt, misleading it and withholding useful information with ulterior motive.

“The committee raised serious concern with regard to the procurement process and yet the Cabinet secretary in his characteristic arrogance and without regard to our concerns went ahead to award the contract,” said Jared Opiyo, in a statement issued by a section of the House committee members.
Prof Kaimenyi had vociferously pushed for the award of the tender to Olive Telecommunications PVT of India, but the tender was annulled on Tuesday over irregularities.

The Public Procurement Administrative Review Board (PPARB) cancelled the tender after American firm Hewlett Packard (HP) and Haier Group of China proved Olive was not an original equipment manufacturer as specified in the tender.

PPARB also ruled that Olive did not meet the requirement that bidding companies have a turnover of Sh8 billion. The board also found that senior government officials had inflated prices for the tender by as much as Sh1.4 billion after the final bids had been made.

READ: Olive’s school laptops tender is revoked by appeals board

PPARB directed the tender committee to complete the procurement process within 45 days and that HP and Haier Group participate in the fresh bidding.

“We wish to thank the board for saving billions of taxpayers’ money, which would otherwise have gone to waste. As a committee, our earlier position with regard to this tender has been vindicated,” Mr Opiyo said.

The committee members, who addressed a Press conference at Parliament buildings, accused Prof Kaimenyi of holding members in contempt when he appeared before them to shed light on the laptop tendering process.

Mr Opiyo said the committee was concerned that the company awarded the tender had a questionable background and doubted its capacity to supply the huge number of devices.

The seven MPs, who accompanied Mr Opiyo, accused Prof Kaimenyi of failing to furnish the committee with a due diligence report conducted on Olive Telecommunications.

“We demanded to be furnished with a due diligence report on Olive on numerous occasions, but the ministry blatantly refused to avail the same,” said Cecilia Ng’etich, the Bomet County MP.

Laikipia West MP Mutahi Kimaru accused the ministry of deliberately concealing crucial information to the committee and some bidders.

“When we raised these issues we saw the principal secretary Kipsang Belio fumbling especially on the question on due diligence. There seemed a great haste to award this tender. Training of teachers was undertaken for three days and we wonder why they spent the money prior to awarding of tender,” he said.

He claimed there could have been corruption in the hurried awarding of the tender.

“We are seeing corruption being reinvented. The initial amount tendered by Olive was upped by Sh1.4 billion. This money could translate to about Sh5 million per constituency, which is enough to construct a fully-fledged secondary school,” he said.

“The President should not wait, but sack Prof Kaimenyi for recklessly handling the laptop tender where government has already spent money on the tendering process. He must go to serve as a warning to others that they must take responsibility,” said Mbooni MP Kisoi Munyao.