Kenya's deputy chief of staff, Eliud Owalo has put all rogue contractors on notice warning that they risk being blacklisted if their slow work progress leads to stalling of government development projects.
Owalo who issued the warning while touring national government projects in Nyamira observing that hardly any development project is completed on stipulated time with contractors giving insubstantial excuses yet they are aware that they do not have sufficient capacity as alleged in their bid documents when they were awarded the contracts. "I'm cautioning contractors who are biting more than they can chew in bidding for very government projects which they can't adequately execute to completion due to their lack of enough technical manpower and financial capacity, that we shall blacklist them from being awarded any government projects." Owalo cautioned.
He explained that when completion of government projects is delayed, yet government funds have been disbursed on the same within a given budget cycle, then it affects government's absorption rates and hinders it from getting value for money invested therein. "Contractors who quote very low sums during bidding in order to entice government to award them tenders must be thoroughly investigated because such are the rogue ones who win many contracts but implementation becomes a challenge since they are either overwhelmed or incapacitated.
We shall be very kin on who to be awarded government contracts to stop wasting taxpayers' money." The deputy chief of staff stated. "When it is discovered that corrupt contractors deliberately received government money but failed to meet their part of the bargain obligation in conformity to the terms and conditions of the contract, then we shall liaise with relevant arms of government with a view of pursuing those contractors so they are prosecuted.
