A former clerical officer at Kiambu County government yesterday told an Anti-Corruption Court that the law was followed during the opening of tender documents for the upgrading of various roads within the county.
Denise Thuku, now a businesswoman, said everything was done above board at the stage of opening the tender documents.
Thuku was testifying in a graft case facing former Kiambu governor Ferdinand Waititu and others.
She said an attendance register was signed by all representatives of the companies including Testimony Enterprises which is currently being prosecuted for irregular award of the Sh588 million tender.
Thuku signed each bid document that was submitted by the companies. Some of the named companies apart from Testimony are Sharwins Ltd, Dickways Construction Company, Ltd and Wel-Athi Holdings (K) Ltd.
The bid document included a form of bid and bid security.
On Monday, the county's procurement boss said the tender evaluation committee failed to comply with the laws relating to procurement.
He said the committee including Zacharia Mbugua, Joyce Ngina, Simon Kabocho, Anslem Wanjiku and Samuel Mugo, had a new criteria being requirement of serialisation of bid documents and filled form tender during the evaluation of the tender for upgrading various roads in the county.
This was done to favour Testimony Enterprises. The new criteria according to Bundi was not part of the bid document.
The tender in question was for upgrading various gravel roads in Thika, Limuru, Gatundu North, Juja and Ruiru subcounties during the financial year 2017-2018.
It was awarded to Testimony Enterprise owned by Charles Chege and Beth Wangeci Mburu after quoting Sh588 million.
After the award, the company allegedly gave Waititu a kickback of Sh25.6 million.
Bundi told the court he recommended that the accounting officer orders for re-evaluation of the tender by the same committee or appoints another ad hoc committee to re-evaluate and compare the results.
He gave this recommendation to the chief officer Roads and Public Works Lucy's Wahinya after realising there were some gaps in the tendering process.
This was disregarded and the contract was subsequently awarded to Testimony Enterprises.
-Edited by SKanyara
