From left, Lee Kinyanjui, the chairman of the National Transport and
Safety Authority, former Traffic Police Commandant Samuel Kimaru and
Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore during the presentation of speed cameras to
the Traffic department at Safaricom's offices in Nairobi on November 26,
2013. A National Assembly committee has approved the Sh15 billion
security surveillance contract awarded to Safaricom. FILE PHOTO | NATION
A National Assembly committee has
cleared the national security surveillance system awarded to Safaricom
and is seeking the House approval for the same.
The
Assembly’s Administration and National Security committee said at the
conclusion of its investigation into the tender award to the mobile
service provider that it was satisfied that due diligence was carried
out.
The tender is for provision of a national
surveillance, communication, and command and control system for the
National Police Service
The House team concluded that
the procurement process for the Sh14.9 billion project was above board
and all necessary stakeholders were consulted.
It thus recommends that the National Assembly approves the tender award and the signing of the contract to Safaricom.
URGENCY OF SECURITY CHALLENGES
The committee has defended the use of direct procurement for the project, arguing that it was necessitated by the urgency of the need to sort out the security challenges in the country.
The committee has defended the use of direct procurement for the project, arguing that it was necessitated by the urgency of the need to sort out the security challenges in the country.
“The
insecurity problems in this country were such that the other methods of
procurement save for direct procurement would have been impractical…the
circumstances therefore justify direct procurement in this tender,” the
report states in its final report now before the House.
The
committee did not find any ulterior motive on the choice of Safaricom
to implement the project, either noting that given the urgency and the
precarious security situation in the country, Safaricom was the most
appropriate entity to implement the project.
It adds
that the company has the requisite financial capability and the
experience in providing a telecommunication network and infrastructure
in the country.
The committee took up the matter
following media report in May that provoked public concern that
Safaricom had been awarded the tender for the sensitive security system
through direct procurement.
CONTRACT PUT ON HOLD
The
team directed that the signing of the contract for the project be put
on hold last month until all the arising concerns were addressed.
It
met top officers in the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of
National Government, including the technical committee which evaluated
and approved the tender for the surveillance and communication system.
The
team comprising senior government officials in the Ministry and the
Ministry of Information, Communication and Technology and the National
Intelligence Service was asked to justify the choice of direct
procurement.
The team also met the officials of the
Communication Authority of Kenya as well as independent communication
experts, the Public Procurement Oversight Authority, Safaricom and
Cabinet Secretaries of ministries involved and the Director of
Procurement at The National Treasury.
According to the
29-member team, the project should be expanded to cover the rest of the
country as soon as ‘is practically possible.’
PREVIOUS TENDERS WERE PROTRACTED
The
report states that it emerged during the meetings with the various
entities involved that the direct procurement of Safaricom was settled
upon due to the protracted nature of previous tenders for police
communication and surveillance systems.
The Ministry of
Interior and Coordination of National Government – the procuring entity
– also had an urgent need set for a security system to address the
high security challenges in the country.
The ministry
told the committee that the procurement was necessitated by the need to
replace what it termed as an obsolete communication system currently in
use, installed three decades ago.
According to the ministry, the current system has largely contributed to the security challenges facing the country.
The
new security system project comprises four components namely, a digital
trunking radio network, a central command operation centre,
installation of Video Surveillance System and internet connectivity to
police stations.
Under the project, Safaricom will
build the network to be used in the proposed system and then hand it
over to the National Police Service for use.
The
Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government indicated
that the network to be used in the system will be independent of
Safaricom’s commercial network.
SHARE INFRASTRUCTURE
It, however, emerged that the system would share passive infrastructure such as Base System Masts with the commercial network.
It, however, emerged that the system would share passive infrastructure such as Base System Masts with the commercial network.
The
proposed project is valued at Sh14.9 billion over a five year repayment
period. The cost is to cater for the purchase of the equipment, its
installation and networking to link it to the central command centre.
The
report details the cost breakdown as Sh12.7 billion for building the
system and Sh 2.2 billion for maintenance support over the five year
period.
In the first phase, the project will cover Nairobi and Mombasa, according to information from the implementing ministry.
The government would have to pay an extra Sh21 billion to set up the project in the rest of the country.
Part
of the payment by the government to Safaricom would be in the form of
Spectrum for Safaricom to roll out the Long-Term Evolution 4G networks,
both for commercial use and for use by the proposed police system.
The
technical committee said Safaricom was chosen due to its ability to
provide the specification of the system in a timely manner and due to
its wide network coverage in the country.
PROCUREMENT WAS ABOVE BOARD
The committee’s conclusion that the procurement process was above board was partly informed by a review of the tender by the Public Procurement Oversight Authority which concluded that the procurement method used was within the law and the procuring entity had met the threshold for direct procurement as provided for by the Public Procurement and Disposal Act.
Also captured in the committee’s report is past unsuccessful efforts by the government to overhaul the communication system of the police over the last 12 years.
“Having tried different types of procurement methods with little success, the government reopened bidding for a contract to install a state of the art integrated public safety communication and surveillance system in 2014 but limited it to one company with the decision to procure directly,” it states in its report.
The committee’s investigation was meant to determine whether due process was followed in the procurement process as well as the system’s general safety.
The committee’s conclusion that the procurement process was above board was partly informed by a review of the tender by the Public Procurement Oversight Authority which concluded that the procurement method used was within the law and the procuring entity had met the threshold for direct procurement as provided for by the Public Procurement and Disposal Act.
Also captured in the committee’s report is past unsuccessful efforts by the government to overhaul the communication system of the police over the last 12 years.
“Having tried different types of procurement methods with little success, the government reopened bidding for a contract to install a state of the art integrated public safety communication and surveillance system in 2014 but limited it to one company with the decision to procure directly,” it states in its report.
The committee’s investigation was meant to determine whether due process was followed in the procurement process as well as the system’s general safety.
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