Documents in Manduku case lacked details, director says

One of the directors of a company at the centre of a Ksh1.4 billion scandal at the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) yesterday told the Anti-corruption court that the tender document lacked a commencement date and contractual amount.

Testifying against former KPA managing director Daniel Manduku who is also the sitting MP of Nyaribari Masaba, the director, Abdisalaam Hassan did not state the total amount in the contract agreement entered between his company Absam and Sun Limited and KPA.

Asked by the court to indicate the date and the amount involved, Hassan could not locate it in the tender and agreement documents that his company was awarded for the construction of concrete barriers at the Inland Container Depot, Kilindini Port and Makongeni Goods.

Milimani Anti-Corruption Court Chief Magistrate Dr Victor Wakumile is presiding over the case in which Manduku and his co-accused, Juma Fadhili, a former works officer at KPA are accused of disregarding procurement law and regulations in awarding contracts which led to the loss of over Sh1.4 billion.

Though the agreement between his company and KPA did not articulate the contractual sum, the witness was quick to state that his company was paid Sh 84.3 million by KPA for the construction of the concrete barriers by the ports authority.

“The contractor documents presented to me by the DPP do not indicate the date we signed it and the amount involved,” Hassan stated.

The witness said that the tender was awarded in 2016 but the contract was only implemented three years later in 2019.