Outgoing health cabinet secretary Sicily Kariuki has said that officials who are linked to the controversial tender involving sh. 3.9 billion to offer ICT services to the health sector will carry their own cross.
Speaking at parliament buildings when she appeared before the Senate Adhoc Committee, the CS faulted some officials from the ministry who choreographed tender for the ministry when they met at Naivasha with the Seven seas Ceo John Macharia to initialize the tendering process.
The CS disowned the tender document before the committee which emanated from Seven seas company, indicating that the original tender document is the one which originated from the ministry.
It emerged that the two documents gave contradictory information, on the tender details.
The tender issued in 2018 was for the supply, installation, testing, maintenance and associated training of ICT services for 98 hospitals across the country.
The CS told the committee that there is a need for the DCI and other investigative agencies to probe the matter.
He pointed out that the officials flouted many set regulations in the ministry in regard to the tendering process.
“The substance of the contract and lack of the letter from the treasury. He went to talk so that things can be inserted in there, yet there was no verification of documents,” she added
Last week, appearing before the same committee, Seven seas CEO, John Macharia accused top leadership in the ministry of health including the CS for terminating the tender prematurely even after he initiated some of the projects.
He further accused the ministry of giving the tender to foreign companies much to the chagrin of local investors.
However, Sicily claims the ministry decided to terminate the tender after he failed to provide the letter of support from the government and failed to prove that he had followed the due tendering process.
Adhoc senate committee chair Fatuma Dullo on Monday directed that officers involved in the saga including head of administration in the ministry of health, Morekwa Moranga be summoned and shed light on the controversial matter.
If the seven seas seek legal redress over the canceled tender, it means the government will pay a whopping 3.5 billion equivalent to 80 percent of the total amount of awarded tender, further forcing taxpayers to dig deeper into their pockets.
