E-Clips:- Business Pictorial - Magari, Mwaliko Sent Home Over Passports

Finance Permanent Secretary Joseph Magari and his Home Affairs counterpart Sylvester Mwaliko were yesterday sent on compulsory leave as the Government tightened its grip on corrupt officers.

And immediately after the Government action, Magari was summoned to the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission headquarters at Integrity Centre where he was grilled by detectives. Unconfirmed reports said the PS was later locked up at an unknown police station.

The two, who have been adversely mentioned in the Sh2.7 billion passport scandal, in which the Government awarded a French company a contract without competitive bidding, were sent home to pave way for investigations into the controversial deal. The Government has been under intense pressure to take action against officials responsible for the authorisation of the passport project which has been marred by claims of corruption.

Also sent on compulsory leave by the Head of the Public Service Ambassador Francis Muthaura were the Director of the Government Information Technology Services, Dr Wilson Sitonic, and the Government Chief Litigation Officer Ms Dorcas Achapa.

Muthaura said the move was taken after initial investigations by the Government into the procurement procedure and pricing of the contract signed in December last year established serious irregularities.

“The senior officers who are responsible for the authorisation of the project and who signed the contract or gave critical advice that led to the procurement or signing of the contract document have been sent on compulsory leave with immediate effect to allow for completion of the investigations,” said Muthaura.

The Sh2.7 billion contract for upgrading the Kenyan passport issuance system and immigration network control was first raised in Parliament by the Ntonyiri MP Maoka Maore who claimed that someone in the government had pocketed more than Sh1 billion from the deal.

Detectives from the Anti-Corruption Department have been poring over documents relating to the project and grilling Government officers over the affair.

The contract, which has brought the Government commitment to deal with emerging cases of corruption into sharp focus, was awarded to a French printing firm Francois Charles Oberthur Fiducaire in disregard to tendering procedures.

The project whose contract was signed on December 4, 2003 was raised from Sh800 million to Sh2.7 billion.

Concerns were raised after none of the three firms short-listed in the original tender was invited to bid for the expanded project after their qualifications were nullified. The firms are FACE Technologies (South Africa), GET Group (USA) and De La Rue (United Kingdom). But Vice-President and Minister for Home Affairs Moody Awori defended the project, saying there was need to upgrade the Kenyan immigration and monitoring system to deal with terrorism and border insecurity.

On Wednesday, Finance Minister failed to table a report on the deal in Parliament as expected citing delay by Government officials involved in answering audit questions. He however, promised to give a detailed report once the investigations were complete.

The National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) government has been under fire from members of the opposition for preoccupying itself with cases of corruption in the past KANU regime as grand corruption took root among its rank and file. But on Tuesday President Mwai Kibaki while addressing foreign investors at a private luncheon in Nairobi said the war against graft had reached its final and decisive levels.

“We are different because of our determination to maximise the use of available resources to benefit our people. We are different because we will never condone corruption as a way of life,” he said.