Kirinyaga County supply chain management director Joseph Carilus Otieno has dismissed MCAs' claims that Governor Anne Waiguru influenced the composition of tender committees to award mega contacts to her allies.
Appearing as the governor's first witness in the impeachment trial, Otieno also refuted claims the county boss appointed her confidants to chair the tender committees.
"The establishment of tender evaluation committees is a role of accounting officer. I can confirm that accounting officer has been establishing evaluation committees," he said.
On Tuesday, the MCAs alleged that Waiguru appointed her former PA Pauline Kamau as director administration and Gichira Wayne as ICT director.
The two, they claimed, alternated in chairing tender committees.
"They directly took directions from the governor to award tenders to her preferred bidders," they claimed.
But Otieno rubbished the claims as incorrect, explaining that the two officers have only chaired three tender evaluation committees since 2017.
"I can confirm that Wayne and Pauline have never sat in the same tender Committee," he said.
"The documents I have presented portrays clearly that we endeavor to ensure that chairmen are appointed after due diligence and or on ad hoc basis."
Otieno provided documents listing names of all the people who have chaired the tender committees since 2017.
In 2017/18 and 2018/19 Pauline chaired one committee each while in 2019/20 she did not chair any.
Twelve tender evaluation committees have been formed since 2017.
