David Mwere
Senior officials in the Prisons Reform Department have been embroiled in a Sh24.9 million wall construction scandal at Shimo la Tewa Prison.
According to sources, the wall, which was constructed at a cost of Sh24.9 million, collapsed just months after its completion, causing injuries to a prison guard.
The scandal has sparked outrage, with many questioning the haste with which the contract was awarded to Trans Border Enterprises in the 2020/2021 financial year without public tendering.
Trans Border Enterprises was paid Sh16.95 million in May 2017, Sh4.97 million in July 2017, and Sh2.64 million in October 2017, with the contractor being paid in full in June 2018.
Despite the wall being rebuilt, it was discovered that the contractor had abandoned the project when it was only 60% complete.
Investigations have revealed that the Prisons Reform Department failed to follow due process in awarding the contract, with no proper supervision of the construction process.
As a result, another 130 meters of the wall collapsed in July last year, sparking further outrage.
Bi Safina Kwekwe, the senior official at the center of the scandal, has acknowledged that the department made mistakes in awarding the contract but has promised to follow due process in the future.
‘I was informed by my seniors that there were issues that needed to be addressed in my department,’ Kwekwe said, without specifying what the issues were.
However, Kwekwe has denied any wrongdoing, saying that the wall was constructed to ensure the safety of prisoners.
‘I was told that the prison had a high-risk population and that the wall was necessary to ensure their safety,’ Kwekwe said.
However, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has dismissed Kwekwe's claims, saying that the scandal was a clear case of corruption.
‘This was not a case of building a wall for national security, but rather a way to enrich a few individuals,’ PAC chairman Opiyo Wandayi said.
