Uganda’s Parliament has been accused of flouting Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets (PPDA) regulations after it awarded a multibillion deal to Roko Construction Uganda and Roko Construction Rwanda to build new chambers of the national assembly.
The contract worth Shs179 billion was concluded within 72hours from the bidding stage to Evaluation Committee, Contracts Committee, and Contract Signing. They submitted their bid on June 26, 2017 at 4:00pm the exact date and time for bid submission deadline only to be approved by a six-member Evaluation Committee led by Ms. Shiela Eden Atim, the deputy Sergent-at-Arms on June 27, 2017. Later that day at 3pm, the Contracts Committee sat in Deputy Speaker Jacob Oulanyah’s boardroom chaired by Innocent Rugambwa, the Director Library Services and agreed to award Roko the contract; less than 48hours after they had submitted their bid.
Although PPDA regulations stipulate that a post-evaluation assessment be conducted on a successful bidder, Parliament based journalist Solomon Arinaitwe discovered that no such assessment was done on Roko with the Evaluation Committee ruling that Roko’s bid was foolproof.
Smelling a rat, the Clerk to Parliament Jane Kibirige on June 28 begged Solicitor General Francis Atoke to clear the bid and her wish was immediately granted through a reply letter signed by SG’s junior Ms. Rachel Rwomushana.
A report by Parliament’s Evaluations Committee states; “.. the requirement for pre-qualification evaluation of M/s Roko Construction Ltd and Roko Construction (Rwanda) Ltd-Joint Venture was waived on urgency.”
The report also urges that the PPDA regulation was waived based on claims that Roko has ‘the required financial muscle to undertake the procurement for Parliament Commission’.
PPDA boss Benson Turamywe said ‘PPDA was not informed’.
Roko Rwanda’s managing director Mr. Derek Clesen who has the powers of attorney for the joint venture refused to reveal why PPDA was not involved in the process because ‘I have not got the contract yet’.
Parliament binned bids from China Civil Engineering Construction Company, China Complete Plant Import and Export, Seyani Brothers & Co Ltd and China National Aero-technology International to hastily give Roko the deal.
In Roko’s defence, Parliament’s Director of Communication and Public Affairs, Mr. Chris Obore said Roko’s bid was the lowest and are good at what they do.
President Museveni has reported picked interest in how the deal was given to Roko and has assigned investigators to dig into the matter.
