OPPOSITION legislators have called on Clerk of Parliament Kennedy Chokuda to resign after laying the blame for the dodgy laptop and desktop tender, and suspicious fuel allocations at the august House on his doorstep.
Chokuda appeared before the Public Accounts Committee (Pac)
on Tuesday and Members of Parliament (MPs) grilled him over a computer tender
awarded to two companies, Blinart Investments P/L to supply Parliament with 173
laptops for a total of US$1 602 755,77, and another company, Mid-End Computers
to supply 79 desktops.
The laptops were priced at US$9 200 each, while a single
desktop was priced above US$3 000.
Parliament then cancelled the tenders after a public
outcry.
Tempers flared on Tuesday during the Pac meeting after
Parliament procurement director Stanley Bhebe told Pac that the procurement
processes were “transparent and honest.”
“The moment we start the bidding process from the day we
advertise to the end we don’t speak to any supplier even if we were interacting
on other things,” Bhebe said.
“Also, when we give information, we give everyone the same
information so that they bid. In this regard, as a barometer to show that the
public has confidence in our tendering system, we had 92 bidders and 30 bidders
submitted their bids. It is highly unlikely in any other procurement entity in
the public service. If you also investigate, you will find that they are very
confident.”
Independent legislator for Norton, Temba Mliswa immediately
questioned how a single laptop could have cost US$9 200.
“What kind of laptop costs US$9 200? Why do you want to
anger us?”
Chokuda told Pac that he was not aware of the prices until
September 9.
However, it emerged that on August 29, he wrote to Blinart
confirming that it had won the tender at the prices it had bid.
Mliswa accused Chokuda of wasting time.
“At times you must be honest to say I made a mistake, not
for you to take us around, waste the country’s time and put this institution
into disrepute. You signed this letter on August 29. The best you could do is
to say it has a fake signature.
“You don’t deserve — as chief accounting officer of
Parliament to sit here. You must pack your bags and go. This Parliament is in a
mess and our own reputation is at stake because of you,” Mliswa said.
Kuwadzana East MP Charlton Hwende seconded Mliswa’s call
for Chokuda to resign. Newsday
0 comments:
Post a Comment