Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero denies spending Sh67M to renovate his office

By GEOFFREY MOSOKU

NAIROBI, KENYA: Concerns have been raised as to how the Nairobi County Government awarded a multi-million contract to refurbish the Governor’s office without advertising the tender.

Dr. Evans Kidero’s team is facing a barrage of questions over the awarding of the tender to renovate his office and furnish it with state of the art furniture.

On Tuesday, Nairobi Women Representative Rachel Shebesh said the relevant committee of the Nairobi County Assembly should take up the matter and investigate how the tender was awarded.

“Governors have been complaining about lack of funds and it is important that the county assembly committee takes up the matter and furnish the public with the truth,” Shebesh said.

Sources also indicate that two Nairobi MPs are planning to raise the matter in Parliament. The city county regime has been accused of extravagant use of funds at the expense of providing basic services.

However, Governor Kidero refuted claims that his office spent over 67 million shillings in renovations.

Kidero says the ongoing renovations are not under the Governor’s authority but the Transition Authority which is currently refurbishing the former Nairobi Mayor’s parlour.

“The Governor has no role to play in any renovation or tender process,” Dr. Kidero told The Standard in a phone interview.

The County government was also said to have awarded a tender to contractors to undertake the refurbishment without advertising for an open tender, in accordance to procurement rules.

However, Nairobi Interim County Secretary Lilian Ndegwa denied any wrong doing saying the Transition Authority is allowed by law to award a restricted tender to prequalified companies.

“Any amount contract below 20 million shillings can be awarded to prequalified firms and this how we picked the firms that are undertaking the refurbishment,” she said.

Ms Ndegwa told The Standard that the renovation of governor’s office cost Sh 5 million while the new furniture cost taxpayers 3.3 million shillings.The new Mercedes Benz E class for Dr. Kidero use cost Kenyans another 8.4 million shillings.

She said this amount was part of the 61 million shillings allocated to the county for the renovation and refurbishment of the governor’s office and other support offices.

Another Sh61 million has been allocated to Nairobi County for the refurbishment of County Assembly chambers and officers for county representatives.

However when asked to provide minutes of the Tender Committee that awarded the contract, she said the documents cannot be availed. She explained that the records were in the custody the Nairobi TA coordinator Eliud Webukhulu Baraza who was shot and killed last month by thugs in Nairobi’s Tena estate.

“I have to go and check where the minutes and tender documents are because they were in the custody of our colleague who was killed last month,” Ms Ndegwa added.