Suppliers deny Western prisons food in Sh250m row

Inmates across prisons in Western region risk missing food as suppliers make good their threat not to deliver food supplies until they are paid. [Standard]

Prisons in Kakamega County could go without food indefinitely after suppliers halted deliveries due to a Sh250 million debt.

Through their lobby, the Kakamega County Suppliers, the traders said they would, starting yesterday, not make any deliveries to the prisons until the Government paid them.

Kakamega County Suppliers Chairman Ibrahim Mohammed said the government has been ignoring their demands for payment.

“We decided to stop supplying because State Department of Recreational Services and Rehabilitation Principal Secretary Zeinab Hussein has ignored our pleas," said Mr Mohammed in an interview on Sunday evening.

"We had written to her asking for a meeting in Nairobi," he added.

A recent audit by a committee appointed by Ms Hussein revealed tendering discrepancies and recommended that payments be stopped.

According to the report, unscrupulous prisons officers processed payments even in cases where proper procurement guidelines were not followed.

It points out that the officers went on to pay suppliers who did not possess credit letters and inspection and acceptance certificates.

Responding to the allegations raised in the report, Mohammed said the Government should step out and arrest the suppliers who have been implicated instead of making up wild accusations.

He said that all orders given to members of his lobby for the past four years were only supported by promissory notes signed by a procurement office, a fact that pours cold water on the fraud allegations.

This is because no actual funds exchanged hands.

“We have issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Government. It either pays or we will go to court,” said Mohammed.

Charles Ocholla, a supplier, claimed that at least three of his colleagues had died due to frustrations caused by the delayed payments.

“One of them died last week after the PS was quoted in a section of the media saying the supplies we made were fraudulent,” said Mr Ocholla.

The affected prisons are Kakamega women and men prisons, Shikusa, Bungoma and Busia prisons.