Report implicates top officials in Bungoma wheelbarrow saga

A special committee formed to investigate the alleged fraudulent procurement of wheelbarrows in Bungoma County has released its findings following weeks of investigations.

The committee’s report puts the county’s Director of Veterinary Services on the spot over the acquisitions, which put the cost of the wheelbarrows at Sh1.09 million, with each of the 10 wheelbarrows costing Sh109,000.

It was revealed that Dr Wangwe influenced the decision by the Tender Committee as he proposed the prices for the wheelbarrows, with the total prices for supply of the slaughterhouse items being used as unit prices for purchase requisitions.

The items included wheelbarrows, hooks, cattle cradles, inspection racks, and two-step platform with handle rails.

Stainless steel hooks, for instance, were reportedly overpriced, pushing the cost from Sh902.78 upwards to Sh32,500 per hook in the LPO.

“The Tender Award Committee ignored advise from the Evaluation Committee to refloat fresh quotations and went ahead to award the tender for the purchase of wheelbarrows and inspection racks,” read the report.

It is reported that Dr Wangwe cut short his trip to Nairobi to attend the inspection and acceptance of the wheelbarrows and hooks, even though he was not a member in the Inspection and Acceptance Committee and was also not captured in the committee minutes.

The committee also stated that the wheelbarrows purchased were of poor quality, though Dr Wangwe had maintained that the prices were fair.

The Accounting Officer, Juma Matsanza, is accused of signing the payment vouchers and the LPO despite the amount being higher than what the Evaluation Committee recommended.

The Head of Supply Chain Management Ayub China is also accused of ignoring laid down regulations by asking the user, who is the director of Veterinary Services, to carry out a market survey and advise the tender committee.

The committee established that the stainless steel wheelbarrows are not used at the Kenya Meat Commission as alleged by former Chief Officer Agriculture Monica Fedha and Dr Wycliffe Wangwe, noting that KMC uses food carriers/wagons that are made of a denser stainless steel material.
The report also indicates that the wheelbarrows in Bungoma already have rust patches, leading the public to question whether they are really made of stainless steel.

According to the committee, the transactions ensured the supply of nine wheelbarrows by Jagla Enterprise at Sh983,880 (each at Sh109,320) instead of Sh109,320 (each at Sh12,146.67) as per the evaluation committee report.

“The county government may have lost Sh874,560, based on advice from Wycliffe Wangwe through Isaiah Masinde,” the repot states.

The report states that the county may have lost Sh1,139,250 through the purchase of 36 stainless steel hooks by Jagla Enterprise at Sh1,170,000 instead of Sh32,500 as per the evaluation committee recommendations.

Five cattle cradles by Chemiaty Enterprise purchased at Sh1,850,000 instead of Sh370,000 led to the loss of Sh1,480,000 while the supply of 3, 2-step platform with handle rails at Sh546,000 instead of Sh182,000 led to the loss of Sh364,000.

The purchase of five stainless steel inspection racks by Chemiaty Enterprise at Sh1,600,000 instead of Sh320,000 also led to the loss of more than Sh1,280,000.

“This committee also draws attention to the Public Procurement and disposal act regulations 2006, No. 10 (2) (e) where the tender committee should ensure that the procuring entity does not pay in excess of prevailing market prices; The tender committee did otherwise,” read the report in part.

Based on the report, the committee implicated Wangwe, China, Transitional Coordinator Juma Matsanza, Jagla Enterprises, Chemiaty Enterprise and Suppliers for the fraudulent transaction.