Editorials

EDITORIAL: Clear the air on probity of military aircraft tender

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Kenya's military in Somalia. The Kenyan government is yet to issue an official statement on the now controversial arms deal. FILE PHOTO | NMG

Kenya’s bid to buy border patrol aircraft to boost its war against the Somalia-based Al-Shabaab terrorists has continued to be a subject of protracted debate in the US.

Some American lawmakers suspect that the proposed transaction, in which Kenya intends to spend Sh43 billion ($418 million), is flawed.

A US Congress investigative committee that wants to investigate the multi-billion shilling tender is demanding supporting documents from the American Air Force, which arranged the deal.

The lawmakers say L3 Technologies, a US supplier of communications, intelligence and surveillance systems, which Kenya has picked for the tender, lacks the capacity to manufacture such equipment.

What’s more, the congressmen say Kenya risks losing Sh12.5 billion if it goes ahead to honour the deal with L3 Technologies and ignores what another contractor, Iomax, has offered.

That foreigners are questioning the probity of our tenders isn’t really a new thing. What we find most disturbing is the silence of Kenyan authorities.

State House, Foreign Affairs ministry, Defence ministry, Parliament and the military have all remained tight-lipped as the controversy rages in a foreign land.

In other words, it is foreigners rather than our own nationals who appear to have a problem with a suspicious transaction.  That is a national shame for Kenya.

The earlier Kenya puts records straight the better for its international image. Kenyans haven’t heard the last of these claims. The showdown over a tender whose value is as huge as the one in question is bound to continue for several months to come.

If Kenya is serious about its claim on transparency and accountability, it must participate and facilitate the ongoing investigations and either assure taxpayers that everything is above board or take legal action on officials found to have bent public procurement rules.

We expect the Kenyan government’s investigative agencies to take advantage of the ongoing probe in America to seal all possible corruption avenues.

At the end of the day, it is Kenyan taxpayers not the Americans who stand to lose billions of shillings if the tender fails the transparency test.