Bomas of Kenya management cannot account for Sh72million catering fee paid by IEBC
A whiff of scandal has hit the state owned Bomas of Kenya over unaccounted Sh72million paid as catering fee services by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), The Informer can authoritatively reveal.
The electoral body made the payment for 500 guests and sixty commission staff members hosted at the facility during the signatures verification exercise of the flopped Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) constitution amendment exercise in late 2020.
Interestingly, records at IEBC shows only 400 verification clerks were engaged by records at Bomas of Kenya shows an inflated figure of 100 clerks.
“This money cannot be accounted for.” An impeccable source told The Informer.
Our investigations have established that the payment was made in respect to the Purchse Order issued in favour of Bomas of Kenya by IEBC NO.3045.
A partial payment of Sh18.8million was paid on February 1, 2021. However, the money is noweher to be found.
“Sh18,844,200.00 Being 25 per cent of the contract price for catering services for 500 guests and 60 commission staff as per the purchase order NO.3045. Payment term: immediate payment.” One of the correspondences seen by The Informer dated February 1, 2021 reads in part.
According to records, the contract value was Sh72, 890,000.
On December 10, 2020 the BBI Secretariat submitted 4.4 million signatures for verification to the IEBC with the signature threshold required for the referendum Bill to be forwarded to county assemblies set at one million.
On December 31, 2020, IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati launched the signatures verification exercise at Bomas of Kenya involving 400 data verification clerks and at least 60 supervisors where they took a secrecy oath while attending a one-day training before start of the verification of the 4.4 million signatures a day after.
However, when reached for comment, Bomas of Kenya Chief Executive Officer Peter Koria Gitaa could not explain the whereabouts of the said funds and how the number of clerks was inflated by 100 people.
On Tuesday this week, The Informer established that Gitaa met staff welfare officials and assured them support by his office a day after junior staff members decried of alleged plans by their bosses to victimise them in alleged corruption cover-up and threatened to petition workers umbrella body, Central Organisation of Trade Unions led by trade unionist Francis Atwoli.
Junior and mid-level staff members had been ordered to surrender all their original testimonials for review amid claims corruption allegations adversely incriminating senior management officials and a section of board members.
