MPs seek review of Seven Seas Sh4.7bn deal on delay
The National Assembly Health Committee chair Sabina Chege speaks to the press on July 5, 2018. PHOTO | FANCIS NDERITU | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- MPs who visited the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) on Wednesday has also asked the parent ministry to withhold payment to Seven Seas.
- They regretted that the project aimed at centralising data at KNH was yet to start 10 months since the tender was awarded.
- The chairperson of the Committee Sabina Chege said the MPs were taken aback when they toured KNH national data centre only to find empty rooms.
The Parliamentary Health committee on Thursday put to task Seven Seas Technologies Manager Mike Macharia to explain why a Sh4.7 billion ICT project they were contracted to undertake in three months has stalled ten months after the company was contracted.
The National Assembly Health Committee chair Sabina Chege said despite the government allocating the money for the project, little has been done.
“We have confirmed by ourselves that nothing much has been done towards installing of the required machines and equipment’s. None of the equipment’s have been installed and the rooms remain empty,” said Ms Chege at the Kenyatta National Hospital on Thursday.
The parliamentary committee had visited the hospital to access the progress of the project.
They demanded that the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of ICT holds a crisis meeting to address the issue before it stalls further.
They also demanded to be supplied with all relevant documents and the contract of agreement between the Ministry of Health and the IT firm.
The Seven Seas Technologies was awarded the tender in September last year. The project was to be completed in 90 days.
Under the programme, 98 hospitals are to be installed with ICT equipment’s which can provide real time data to the KNH data centre
The The firm had initially asked for a down payment, however it was declined.
health information technology at the KNH is part of the Management Equipment Services project by the ministry of Health. The KNH is expected to act as a data Centre for the ministry of health.
The firm manager Mr Macharia defended before the parliamentary committee that he has not been funded by the Ministry of health to enable him install the equipment’s.
“The equipment’s arrived at the Mombasa port in December last year, but we have not been able to get them as we lack funding,” he said
Mr Macharia said, the firm requested to be given a comfort letter by the ministry of health to facilitate the transportation of the equipment’s from the port but six months down the line, he has not been facilitated.
He said, once he receives the letter of comfort, he will be able to get funding for the transportation and installing of the required equipment’s.
Speaking separately, Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki said the ministry wants the project to be completed quickly as was planned.
“I will not comment on the issue for now, however we want the project completed quickly,” she said.
