By JOHN NJAGI
President Kenyatta has promised to personally deal with corruption in ministries, after learning that officials were asking for bribes before awarding tenders.
He said a yet to be announced website and online forum would be made public following fears corrupt ministry officials were likely to cash in on the affirmative action to give youth, women and the disabled, 30 per cent of government contacts.
“If an officer from a ministry or parastatal asks you for a bribe, just keep quiet and go and enter his name and the amount of bribe on the webpage which I will announce soon. Then we will deal with them,” he said, adding that staff who were not content with their salaries should resign, and start business instead.
He was speaking during the launch of government expo to award Sh200 billion worth of government contracts to youth and women at the KICC in Nairobi.
President Kenyatta urged ministries to ensure the youth got a slice of substantial government contracts, and not the smaller ones such as cleaning services, sweeping and bush clearing.
Devolution Cabinet Secretary Ann Waiguru said all contracts worth Sh500 million and below had been ring-fenced to promote small businesses owned by the youth and disabled.
The small entrepreneurs will also benefit from a further Sh14 billion worth of contracts to supply stationery, furniture and communication services to government departments.
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION
Ms Waiguru said the affirmative action would help level the playing field in issuing of government contracts.
She said ministries would sign as part of their performance contracts commitment to ensuring a third of their contracts go to small entrepreneurs.
She added that the Devolution and National Treasury ministries would register potential beneficiaries of tender awards and ensure the information is made available to procurement departments in government.
The ministry will also start training the youth and women entrepreneurs on tenders and link them with financing institutions.
At the same time, Ms Waiguru said staff had been seconded to ministries to ensure the 30 per cent gender rule is implement ed.
Meanwhile, Lands Cabinet Secretary Charity Ngilu said her ministry had set aside contracts worth Sh8 billion to give to the youth, while the Defence Ministry said it had awarded 40.5 per cent major contracts to women and the young people.
Ms Ngilu urged women to ensure they competed for the remaining 70 per cent of government contracts.
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