Trouble stalks KWS insurance tender

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 29 – One of the insurance firms that were recently awarded a Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) tender is threatening to pull out following claims that two rival firms were awarded larger shares.

The company has already expressed its concerns in a letter written to KWS Director Julius Kipng’etich, according to sources.

Officials at the KWS have confirmed one of the firms has written questioning why two rival firms were awarded larger shares yet it had quoted the lowest.

“One of the insurance firms is not happy with the way the process was carried out and is threatening to pull out. It has written a letter,” a source at KWS said.

The KWS insurance tender to cover staff and other resources including aircrafts expires this Friday but three firms have already been awarded a new tender for the 2012/12 financial year.

Concerns of the insurance firm threatening to pull out stem from the fact that it had quoted the least amount yet it has been awarded the least share as compared to two other insurance companies—CIC and Kenindia.

The three firms which were awarded the tenders are CIC, First Assurance and Kenindia.

When contacted, CIC General Manager Ken Kimani said there was nothing peculiar for any of the firms to get a larger share in the tender.

“In this business it happens, when you tender you can get part of it or 100 percent, so I don’t see anything peculiar here,” Kimani said.

He could not discuss what percentage CIC was awarded.

We were unable to get comments from Kenindia and First Assurance.

All the three firms have already received letters of offer from KWS and none of them has formally signed the one-year contract.

Sources said letters for the insurance cover were dispatched to the three insurance companies on Thursday last week.

Reports indicate they were backdated to May 15, 2012 to ensure they are within the 14-day period required by government procurement rules.

Items covered in the Sh100 million tender include aircrafts, motor vehicles, buildings and staff among others.

Last week, the KWS boss maintained the tendering process was above board and dismissed reports that they had overlooked procurement rules.

“Whoever is aggrieved can file an appeal through the right channel, we always observe procurement rules in what we do,” Kipng’etich told Capital FM News in reply to queries sent to him.

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