This archive report was first published on 12 July 2019.
Published on July 12, 2019, a tender notice for the supply of charcoal and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) has sparked concerns about the government's stance on clean energy.
State House has been advertising the tender, which appears to be an ironic twist for a country focused on advancing clean energy for cooking.
The tender notice, which was published in local dailies, requires suppliers to download prequalification documents from the State House website and register for the documents categories at the office of the head of supply chain management.
According to the notice, youth, women, and the disabled must provide a valid certificate of registration for disadvantaged groups.
"Youth, women and the disabled should provide a valid certificate of registration for disadvantaged group. Pre-qualification documents duly completed should be submitted in plain sealed envelopes bearing appropriate category on the top of the envelope and deposited on the tender box," the notice read.
The government's move to advertise a charcoal tender comes at a time when the country is struggling to attain at least a 10 per cent forest cover by 2022.
Environment Cabinet Secretary Keriako Tobiko had extended a ban on logging for another year in November 2018, with a Sh18 billion restoration proposal for forest rehabilitation aimed at improving the country's forest cover, which is currently estimated at about 7.4 per cent.
The government has also spent close to Sh2 billion in rolling out cheaper gas in counties, although the project collapsed and the Auditor-General's office recently revealed that taxpayers may have lost Sh800 million in the process.
