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MPs yesterday ordered National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) managing director Joseph Kimote and top Agriculture ministry officials to appear before them and shed light on how the board spent Sh401.5 million on 3.2 million gunny bags.

Documents tabled before the Public Accounts Committee by Agriculture and Research PS Hamadi Boga revealed that of the consignment, 2.7 million comprised new jute bags valued at Sh386.1 million and 525,000 Plypropylene (PP) bags valued at Sh15.3 million.

But it is the procedure of procurement that raised questions with Boga telling the team gunny bags are procured on a need basis.

According to the report, three companies were awarded the tender to supply the PP bags—Rai Plywood supplying 45,000 bags at Sh38.28 each and Trans Global Distributors 20,000 bags at Sh28.07.

Texplast Industries, on the other hand, supplied the bags on three different occasions wherein one instance it supplied 400,000 bags at Sh28.08  each, then 50,000 bags at Sh30.74 each and finally 10,000 bags at Sh30.74 each. 

The report further said the 2.7 million jute bags were procured through a mix of procurement methods. 

The MPs, however, sought to know the criteria used in arriving at the unit price, saying NCPB is a big mess which ought to be investigated and those found culpable taken to court.

Mavoko MP Patrick Makau said it is unacceptable that the board can spend so much money on gunny bags yet the institution’s mandate is to buy maize from farmers.