A bitter war has erupted at National Treasury revolving around a multimillions automation of Integrated Financial Management Information System annual general maintenance contract. Weekly Citizen has information, firms that enjoyed the patronage of disgraced former cabinet secretary Henry Rotich and ex-principal secretary Kamau Thugge are crying foul after being knocked out and even moved to Public Procurement Oversight Authority to file the case but lost. Informed sources say, the directors of a firm operated by Ethiopian’s TCT Ltd that enjoyed tenders during Rotich and Thugge tenure are now feeling the heat. The firm that won the tender is Kingsway Business Limited.
Henry Rotich
The tender in question is Sh630 million three-year contract. Among the firms that initially won the tender during Rotich, Thugge era was Gestalt Gild, an Asian owned firm. Surprisingly while at the Treasury, Rotich and Thugge were deeply involved in tender wars with each fronting preferred companies. It is no wonder, due to the bad blood between the two, Thugge has decided to be a state witness in criminal charges facing Rotich. Thugge had been charged together with Rotich but has now agreed to be witness alongside former Wildlife PS Susan Koech whose charges were also dropped. Rotich is now reading malice and is a worried man. The Director of Public Prosecution has already withdrawn charges against Thugge after agreeing to be a key prosecution witness in the Kimwarer and Arror dams scandal cases meaning he will now testify against his former boss.
Susan Koech
While Rotich and Thugge were in office, the award of IT tender worth millions of shillings almost saw the duo exchange blows. An Asian firm was awarded the tender. The Sh150 million software tender for onsite support and improvement of Ifmis was awarded to an Asian owned firm, Gestalt Gild which that changed to Sybyl Kenya Limited. Using then Treasury powerful forces, the firm changed names to avoid tax payment demands by Kenya Revenue A u t h o r i t y running into millions of shillings. R o t i c h fronted the Asian firm against Thugge’s wishes. Rotich used his allies at the Treasury to extend the company’s contract. With Rotich’s exist and arrival of Ukur Yattani, Sybyl associated with Shahedra Yadar and Sunir Varghasse, have been blacklisted. Through him, the firm received extensions against the law to do software works for Ifmis.
Kamau Thugge
The Asian firm was blamed for the continuous breakdown in the Ifmis that led to government and counties operations fail. It was first awarded in March 2016 for one year. It got extensions after a fresh tender was advertised following the expiry of the first one. At one time a bitter Thugge wrote a complaint on the tendering process and payments done to Sybyl but Rotich could not hear. During the then six months extension, Sybly was paid Sh80 million. During 2017-2018 financial year, Treasury advertised tender number TNT/035/2017-2018. The tender was again cancelled for unknown reasons and the same company Sybyl got leeway to continue doing works. Sybyl, which also does contracts with county governments, is known to allegedly inflate costs and lobbies to win lucrative tenders.
Ukur Yatani
Sybyl, through Rotich influence, was to land another hardware tender worth Sh700 million through single sourcing. Renjith Mani, the firm financial controller, has been heard dismissing CS Yattani in private business meetings. It is said Mani was the force behind other firms involved in the recent tender to block Kingsway Business Ltd, which they claim is a proxy of an American firm Oracle and has no capacity to undertake the contract. The matter is headed to Ethics Anti Corruption Commission(EACC) with those interested bringing on board two prominent city lawyers to file a petition stipulating what they term suspicious and criminal tender a ward to Kingsway.
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