Mystery of Sh1.5bn 'dud' fighter jets from Jordan air force

The Defence ministry has failed to explain why it bought seven Jordanian fighter jets for Sh1.5 billion for the military, which were later found to be defective.

Defence Principal Secretary Saitoti Torome on Tuesday told the National Assembly Public Accounts Committee that the matter is very sensitive and cannot be discussed in public.

SECRET

The media was kicked out of the probe on the jets that Auditor-General Edward Ouko, in his latest report, said are now being used as sources of spare parts.

“The ministry views this as a sensitive security matter and we are requesting that the issue be handled under classified information category,” the ministry said in its response to the auditor's query.

The MPs, however, accused the ministry of hiding behind the sensitivity of the matter to cover up the loss of taxpayers’ money.

“They are telling us that they will do for us presentation on the matter in question. They are just trying to cover up,” said the committee chairman and Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi.

Mr Ouko, in his report, said the jets were bought from the Royal Jordanian Air Force through government-to-government tender on April 2007.

They were part of a fleet for which the government paid Sh1.5 billion but when the Defence ministry’s technocrats inspected them, the auditor-general said, they found a number of defects.

When auditors went to Laikipia Air Base on June 2016, they found that the defects were yet to be rectified, and seven jets had not been operational from the time they were brought in Kenya and assembled.

EXCAVATORS

“However, they are being used as sources of spare parts for other similar machines. No justification has been given for the purchase of seven aircraft at $7.1 million (Sh498.2 million), then use them as sources for spare parts,” Mr Ouko said in his report.

Mr Ouko also complained about the military’s failure to explain a decision to buy two excavators at more than four times their market price in the 2011/12 financial year.

The military paid Sh185.3 million instead of Sh40 million for the two excavators.

The ministry in their response explained that the market survey of Sh40 million, which the auditor-general had come across in his audit, might have been for a different and lower model and not for the heavy duty excavator model 374DL.

“The ministry further explained that the unit cost of one heavy duty model 374DL was Sh66,207,000. In addition the cost of accessories, training package and maintenance for the two excavators totalled to Sh52, 909, 994,” the ministry said.

“Considering the unique task the excavators were to perform, the total sum of 183,323,994 was considered reasonable for the new equipment, their accessories, training package costs and maintenance after 2000hours,” the PS added.