Kenya: STATE OFFICER INTERDICTED OVER KSH.51M STADIUM PROJECT TENDER
BY MAURICE ALAL, reporting from Kisumu. Kenya

The Kisumu East district procurement officer Mr. Luke Midamba has been interdicted over an alleged graft claims involving the manner in which the tendering for the sh. 51 million Kisumu stadium project was handled.

Mr. Midamba has immediately been replaced by the immediate former deputy procurement officer from the neighboring Kisumu north district a Mr. Okwany.

Mr. Willy Cheboi, the Kisumu east acting DC while confirming the reports said Mr. Midamba was interdicted last week pending investigations being carried out by the government’s anti graft agency.

Midamba who was the secretary to the district tender committee which awarded the sh 51 million stadium tender – by virtue of his office as the district procurement officer is allegedly being accused of using his office to falsify records he kept in relation to the project.

” As the district procurement officer he was the one who had the custody of the records and documents for the tendering of the project.” said our source.

When three government offices in Kisumu were broken into and computers stolen, claims were rife in the town that people keen to destroy evidence linked to the stadium investigations could have been behind the theft.

Computers and others vital government documents were catted away by the criminals who used keys to gain access to the offices belonging to the district registrar of deaths and births, the AG chambers and youth and sports .

Eight people among them some AP officers who were at the sentry during the incident recorded their statements with the police in what the acting DC at the time described as an inside job.

We reliably learned that the controversy over the tender for renovation of the Moi stadium winch was dilapidated had also led to the transfer of three senior officers from the ministry of public works who were involved in the project.

The officers who were recalled to the ministry headquarters as part of internal action taken against them by the ministry in relations to how they handled the project which is ongoing included Kisumu east district works officer, Kisumu county works officer and the county quantity surveyor.

As probe into the project tendering continues , the district agriculture officer who also chaired the awarding committee also had her appointment into the chair immediately revoked.

The acting DC said his office expects to receive a report from the anti graft body by this week adding that many officers who were involved in bending the procurement procedures in one way or another will be prosecuted based on the findings of the investigators.

The first phase of the Moi stadium project included installation of flood lights and erecting a perimeter wall.

Although it hasn’t stalled, the project has attracted a lot of controversies with claims even by local elected leaders that it was riddled in graft.

At one point then immediate former Kisumu east DC Mabeya Mogaka reportedly intervened when it was alleged that materials being mobilized was sub standard.

Some senior government officers working at the district and in the province were accused of being the owners of the company which was awarded the tender although they have since vehemently refuted the claims.

Efforts to get a comment from the interdicted officer to verify some of the allegations were futile. His cell phone went on ringing without an answer.
END