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{
    "id": 362662,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/362662/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 470,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Usually I define integrity in a manner that is so simple that what you want, what you do and what you say should mean the same thing all the time. This is one such officer. What Mr. Kimemia tells you, what Mr. Kimemia wants, and what Mr. Kimemia does are consistent. That makes him an officer with integrity. We need to clarify the two issues that the EACC raised with us. The first one was about the Greenfield tender which was handled by the KAA and the Managing Director then was Mr. Gichuki. They floated this tender and commenced the procurement process before they were assured of availability funds.. This was against the procurement legislation. So, as usual, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) had its antennae out there, checking why this process was going on in this manner. Was there anything suspicious inside? Was there collusion? On the basis of that kind of suspicions, the EACC requested that the Government should suspend the Managing Director of the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) on the ground that he proceeded with this tender process before he was assured of the availability of funds. When that request was sent over to the Permanent Secretary, Transport, he drew the attention of Mr. Kimemia to the issue; Mr. Kimemia, after consultation with the other Ministries and the Treasury, and based on what the Cabinet had already handled on this issue, responded to the EACC that: “We cannot and do not need to suspend the officer because the real issue of having handled the tenders before finances were raised has now been solved. The Cabinet has given clearance for the project to go on; the Treasury is going to make available the funds and the contractor is required to seek funds for doing this project”. The project was for over US$653 million. It was out of that objection to the suspension of the Managing Director of the KAA that the EACC became exceedingly suspicious, which is within their mandate. We listen to them and brought Kimemia in the picture for observation. They wrote to us and stated that he was under investigation. Then we put the Managing Director to task as to what they were investigating. They were investigating because he declined to suspend Mr. Gichuki to allow them to proceed. That did not convince us that it was really a legitimate process that could be described as an investigation into this officer. I felt like dismissing it outright, but you cannot dismiss the EACC because they may know other things, and they are still keeping them; but on the basis of what they disclosed to us, it was something that we felt that was not right. They admitted that it was only a cautionary and advisory letter, but written in a language as if there was some serious investigation going on when actually there was not."
}