House team wants Jacob Kaimenyi to resign

Parliament committee on Education members want Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi to resign over his handling of the cancelled tender for the procurement of laptops for primary schools.

A section of the committee told reporters at Parliament, Nairobi, that if Prof Kaimenyi does not resign or get fired by the President, they would introduce a censure motion against him in the National Assembly.

The 10 members said that when they met the minister and Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang before the award of the tender, they “seemed in great haste to award it” to Olive Telecommunications PVT.

The House team thanked the Public Procurement Administrative Board for cancelling the tender award to Olive, an Indian firm, and said the action vindicated the stand they took when the contract was awarded. (READ: Laptop project dealt blow by tender board)

“The committee had raised serious concerns with regard to the procurement process both at the committee and even with the media, yet the Cabinet Secretary hurriedly, arrogantly and without regard to concerns raised by members and went ahead to award the tender,” they said in a statement read by Mr Jared Opiyo (Awendo, Ford-Kenya)

Mr Opiyo said the concern was that the company had a questionable background and doubted its capacity to supply the large number of the laptops meant for Standard One pupils.

INFORMATION ON FIRM

“The committee had also on numerous occasions demanded to be furnished with the due diligence report on Olive Telecommunication PVT Ltd which the ministry blatantly refused to give to the committee,” said Mr Opiyo.

Mr Opiyo was accompanied by Silverse Anami (Shinyalu, ODM), Cecilia Ngetich (Bomet County, TNA), Mutahi Kimaru (Laikipia East, TNA), Richard Makenga (Kaiti, Wiper), Wilbur Ottichilo (Emuhaya, ODM), Kenneth Okoth (Kibra, ODM), Nasra Ibrahim (Marsabit County, ODM), Dorcas Kedogo (Vihiga County, ODM) and Michael Kisoi  (Mbooni, Wiper).

The 10 said they had the support of the rest of the committee including chairperson Sabina Chege (Muranga County, TNA). (READ: Intrigues behind Sh24bn laptop deal)

They said the censure motion against Prof Kaimenyi would be brought because of “holding the committee in contempt, misleading or giving wrong information to it and withholding useful information with ulterior motive.”

 “This would have led to an incredible loss and irreparable damage to the image of the President and the government, whose noble initiative has been thwarted by irresponsible, reckless mishandling of the entire process by the CS,” said the MP.

The team seemed particularly irked by Prof Kaimenyi’s behaviour when he met them, with Mr Opiyo repeatedly stating that he was arrogant and no member of the committee was pleased when they met him.