Nipate
Forum => Kenya Discussion => Topic started by: Simanova on July 06, 2016, 07:39:04 PM
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He was barely in office a week when he started the process of paying the kickback to the thieves. He is planning to stay on when the other thieves go:
Electoral commission boss Ezra Chiloba is on the spot for approving an extra payment of Sh250 million to the supplier of voter identification kits that failed in the last General Election.
Mr Chiloba, who took office last February, admitted approving the payment barely two months into office when he appeared before the National Assembly's Public Accounts Committee on Wednesday.
He said he signed off on $2.5 million (Sh250 million) to Face Technologies for the supply of 36,400 electronic voter identification devices (EVIDs) last March although the figure was not captured in any contract.
The payment is part of an extra cost incurred by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) for the devices that were allegedly not included in the contract signed in the run-up to the polls.
PENDING BILLS
The initial contract by the commission was for the supply of 30,000 EVIDs at the cost of $16 million (Sh1.6 billion), but the amount was revised to $21 million (Sh2.1 billion) for 34,600 kits.
Members of the committee, chaired by Rarieda MP Nicholas Gumbo (ODM), said the changes were not captured in the contract, and that the extra payment should not have been allowed.
The CEO told the committee that he made the decision to pay the company after looking at documents left by his predecessor, James Oswago, and after consulting senior IEBC officials.
He said the former office had already acquired the kits and he had no choice but to effect the payment.
He also informed the House team that two audit reports, one by the Auditor-General and another by the Treasury’s audit department, validated the pending bills incurred by the commission and hence enabling him to approve the payout.
SH2.1BN BILL
“As per the contract they (Face Technologies) were supposed to deliver 30,000 EVIDs at a total cost of $16 million but there had been discussions within the commission that additional 5,000 kits were required because of the increase of the polling stations. However, there was no variation of the contract that is on record that indicates that 5,000 were to be delivered,” said the CEO.
He said he found a Sh2.1 billion pending bill for the kits when he took office in February, adding that he had no choice but to approve it because the devices had already been used and were in the possession of the commission.
“When it came to payment, what I saw on record was a pending a bill for the actual number of kits to be delivered. The issue is the commission has taken over the assets and has been using them all through," Mr Chiloba told the committee at Parliament in Nairobi.
MPS FURIOUS
"Having looked at the two audit reports, we said there is no way we are going to get out of this,” he added.
MPs were, however, furious that he allowed the payment despite knowing that it was a result of an irregularity.
“When it comes to payment, you just pay against a contract. What we are asking is when you made the payment, what did the contract say? Were they supposed to deliver 30,000 or 34,600?” asked Suba MP John Mbadi (ODM).
The lawmakers also wanted to know whether he made the decision single-handedly or in consultation with the commissioners.
KITS FAILED
“Was this your decision or it was a decision made by a larger group of people, and if so who are they? Were the commissioners involved?” asked Mr Gumbo.
Mr Chiloba said he decided alone.
The kits were acquired by the IEBC ahead of the 2013 polls.
They were meant to electronically identify the voters but most of them failed.
The revelation came as the commission said it was getting ready for a nationwide voter registration campaign planned for November and December.
The registration of new voters is in readiness for the next General Election in 2017.
http://www.nation.co.ke/news/Ezra-Chiloba-on-the-spot-over-Sh250-million-payout/-/1056/2822512/-/nhyo10/-/index.html