By Our Reporters
In a two page dossier, a whistle blower implores the IGG to come to the rescue of the new UNRA Director Procurement John Omeke whom he says is already being undermined by selfish actors in top management. The whistle blower claims that in the process to procure a contractor for Busega-Mpigi Expressway, the taxpayer is about to lose over Shs143bn because M/S China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) and China Railway 19th Bureau Group Co (CRGC) Ltd, which he says the UNRA management wants to be given the job, was after all not the lowest bidder. It was the 4th lowest bidder meaning the lowest, 2nd lowest and 3rd lowest bidders are being sidelined. The whistle blower says the lowest bidder, which UNRA should ordinarily give the job, quoted a price that is Shs143bn lower than CCECC and CRGC. The whistle blower adds that even the delayed procurement for the road contractor is already heavily costing the tax payer because the Shs576bn loan from African Development Bank (AfDB) is already attracting interest yet the money isn’t yet being utilized. That on 31st August 2017, the UNRA Procurement Directorate opened the bids but couldn’t make much progress because of deliberate frustrations by some members of the top management.
The whistle blower says this frustration came by way of some top management members “imposing on…the evaluation committee the 4th lowest bidder instead of the lowest eligible, compliant and substantially responsive bidder as the PPDA Act directs.” That some members of the top management are unethically exerting pressure on the Procurement Directorate and Evaluation Committee to award CCECC and CRGC. That this favored company quoted over Shs534bn “which is higher than the lowest bidder who quoted over Shs390,847,974,118.” The whistle blower urges the IGG to act very fast to prevent this impending anomalous award from being effected in favor of CCECC and CRGC. The whistle blower, who clearly appears bent at exonerating Omeke’s Procurement Directorate, claims that on 16th May 2018, the AfDB as funding the agency objected to giving the job to CCECC and CRGC on grounds that the evaluation report was shrouded in flaws. He says Busega-Mpigi Expressway is a very important project with potential to boost trade between Uganda and Rwanda and should therefore not be messed up at the procurement stage. He argues that some of the officials are on the verge of having illicit enrichment in case this award goes on, something the IGG should intervene and prevent from happening.
The whistle blower also implores the IGG not to involve officials of the PPDA legal department on grounds they are in bed with their counterparts at UNRA. Instead the whistle blower advises the IGG to work with PS Works ministry Waiswa Baligeya and PSST Keith Muhakanizi to prevent this mischief from being executed. The letter is copied to Board Chairman Fred Omach who is understood not to have very good relations with ED Allen Kagina who continues to resist efforts by Board members to be allocated posh cars and other benefits. Our efforts to speak to UNRA Director Procurement John Omeke were futile as he consistently refused to speak to us both on phone and even when we drove to Nakawa and went to his office to speak to him. He had originally given an appointment to speak to us but later chickened out-and shunned our phone calls and text messages-for reasons best known to himself. At PPDA Uthman Segawa, who heads the legal department, said he wasn’t aware of this specific complaint. “We aren’t yet aware of that complaint but of course when its finally presented to us for administrative review, we shall determine the most appropriate way to respond and which actions to take regarding the same,” is all he explained in a Wednesday afternoon when this news website visited the PPDA office for a comment. For comments, call/text/whatsapp us on 0703164755.
