Summary
- IBM East Africa is demanding Sh110 million for maintenance of IEBC's servers while Oracle Technology Systems (K) is claiming Sh193 million pay for offering security services to protect the poll agency's database.
- Ms Corine Mbiaketcha, the managing director at Oracle (K), said the firm’s calls to the IEBC to clear the bill have so far been futile.
- The IEBC had signed a Sh273 million contract with Oracle (K) but has since only paid Sh80 million for IT services during the 2017 General Elections, according to the tech firm.
Two global tech companies say they are yet to receive Sh303
million pay from the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission
(IEBC) for services rendered during the August 8 General Elections.
IBM
East Africa is demanding Sh110 million for maintenance of IEBC's
servers while Oracle Technology Systems (K) is claiming Sh193 million
pay for offering security services to protect the poll agency's
database.
The multinational firms complained to the
National Assembly Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that the IEBC has
shown no commitment in paying them for the services rendered.
“We
had done an assessment together with the IEBC where we took inventory
on everything that we had delivered and the value was $1.9 million
(Sh190 million) they paid us $800,000 (Sh0.8 million) so we have been
requesting from them the balance of $1.1 million (Sh110 million),” said
IBM Country General Manager Nicholas Nesbitt.
Ms Corine
Mbiaketcha, the managing director at Oracle (K), said the firm’s calls
to the IEBC to clear the bill have so far been futile.
The
IEBC had signed a Sh273 million contract with Oracle (K) but has since
only paid Sh80 million for IT services during the 2017 General
Elections, according to the tech firm.
IEBC hired IBM
East Africa to maintain servers it had acquired in 2012 from French
company Safran Morpho, but the tech firm terminated the $4.35 million
(Sh435 million) contract after the poll body failed to keep its end of
the bargain.
“Agreement was that we would be paid in
three instalments depending on certain milestones. The IEBC honoured the
first instalment of $800,000 and went mum on the rest,” said Mr Nesbitt
on Monday.
The two firms had appeared before PAC to shed light on how they were awarded contracts by IEBC through direct procurement.
The
MPs are questioning the timing of the contracts, noting they were
hurriedly awarded without proper documentation of engagement, and
claiming the contracts could have been vendor-driven.
In their defence, the firms said the IEBC approached them to carry out assessment of its systems before awarding them tender.
"Is
it possible there was some informal engagement with the IEBC that
culminated into this direct procurement," said Unguja MP Opiyo Wandayi
who chairs the PAC.
The investigation follows
revelations in the Auditor General Edward Ouko report on inconsistencies
in procurement of equipment’s and services at IEBC in the 2017/2018
financial year.
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