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Kenya

Govt cancels laptop tender over Sh20b deficit

The government is still resolute to acquire the devices by the first quarter of 2014. Photo/ FILE

The government is still resolute to acquire the devices by the first quarter of 2014. Photo/ FILE

NAIROBI Kenya, Oct 17 – The government has terminated the primary schools laptop tender after the lowest bidder quoted Sh32 billion against an anticipated budget of Sh12 billion creating a deficit of Sh20 billion.

This was after an evaluation of the bids by the education ministry technical team revealed that the tenders ranged from Sh23,000 per laptop to Sh28,000.

Cabinet Secretary for Education Jacob Kaimenyi said procurement processes must ensure efficiency, transparency and accountability.

“This amount was therefore above the Ministry’s budget, creating a deficit of Sh20 billion. Given this budget deficit, the Ministry found it prudent to terminate the tender in accordance with the provisions of the Public Procurement and Disposal Act of 2005,” he stated.

He said that a total of 126 firms had bought the bid document out of which 20 returned the tender bids where after the evaluation, only three met the technical specifications.

Kaimenyi however expressed confidence that the government will acquire the devices by the first quarter of 2014.

“The Government understands the urgency and need to procure the devices to actualize the project by the first quarter of 2014. However, the procurement proceedings must ensure economy, efficiency, transparency and accountability,” he said.

He says already consultations were underway in a bid to expedite the process.

“The Ministry is in consultation with the relevant government departments to come up with an appropriate competitive procurement mechanism which will ensure that the aforementioned computing devices are available in the first quarter of 2014,” he assured.

He noted that, “This too will ensure that the Kenyan people get value for money within the available resources.”

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Other than the 1.3 million laptops set to be bought, 20,367 projectors and 20, 367 printers for schools will be purchased.

Meanwhile the ministry is in the process of disbursing funds to schools towards improving the storage capacity and security for the laptops and accessories.

The Ministry has also begun the training of teachers who will play a crucial role in the success of the project.

“The Ministry launched ICT Training Curriculum for Teachers on 7th August; this curriculum identifies the key areas in ICT literacy and ICT integration skills that shall facilitate the training of teachers,” he pointed out.

“The ICT Integration Training Manual and user guide for use by trainers have been finalised and are ready for use by trainers.”

Government targets to introduce the laptops projecting a total of 20,367 Public Primary Schools.

“Through this programme, Rural Electrification Authority, one of the key stakeholders in this project has connected 11,065 public primary schools to the national grid,” he revealed.

1,650 additional schools shall be connected to the grid by January 2014 and 130 schools shall be connected to solar power energy.

“The Government will, in consultation with stakeholders and partners, address power connectivity to the remaining 8,327 schools,” Kaimenyi added.

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