Sharon Obonyo - Acting MD of National Water & Harvesting Authority. She was appointed in April 2020. The tender was readvertised in August. Did she manipulate the tendering process? Ms Obonyo was the Chief Legal Officer before the promotion.
Imagine being so lucky as to win tenders every time it is advertised; and to add to that, luck comes from the same govt agency.
Wrong, it is not luck, it is corruption and kickbacks that speaks.
Frabo & Company Limited has won another Sh25 billion tender for construction of Soin – Koru Multipurpose Dam Water Project from the National Water Harvesting and Storage Authority (NWHSA).
This particular tender was refloated after the previous bidders refused to part with bribes. It was re-advertised specifically to gift Frabo & Company Limited the tender, this is according to a highly placed source.
Frabo’s previous works are nothing compared to other firms that bid in this tender. For example, Kenyan contractors often do shoddy works, delay project completion and don’t offer value for money compared to their Chinese counterparts. Hide evidence Sino-Hydro, a Chinese firm (give the devil his dues), gave up in the rebidding on this tender. They sensed that it was rigged against every other firm except Frabo, because the tender was cancelled only to be given to a company that costed the project at a whopping Sh25 billion.
“Frabo must be well connected. I have scrutinized their history and it appears as though they win every other big water tenders at National Water (NWHSA). Further, National Water offices were once razed in fire to destroy any evidence that related to a tender that had been awarded to Frabo. Is it a coincidence that they have been awarded the Soin-Koru dam project again? I don't think so”, lamented a source.
This is not the first time questions about Frabo are being raised. The article below speaks about their curious tender-winning ways.
https://nyakundireport.com/njee-muturi-eugene-wamalwas-new-scheme-to-steal-kshs-20-billion-using-soin-koru-dam/ September 2019: The Centre for Corporate Governance awards a certificate to CS. Sharon Obonyo, the then Chief Legal Officer, National Water Harvesting and Storage Authority, after the successful completion of the 202nd 5-day Corporate Governance course at Travellers Beach Hotel & Club, Mombasa.
Frabo Limite 'won' the tender costed at Sh24,698330,902. Some quick takeaways from the linked article if you didn't click: Frabo does not have the experience to undertake such huge projects. Frabo was mentioned in mainstream media has having undertaken a project where Sh6 billion went missing. It is intriguing that even though Frabo has been linked to several corruption cases in National Water, however, they continue to have the confidence to impede and manipulate public procurement without consequence. This shows that they have higher godfather. Procurement has often gone out of its way to hand contracts to Frabo. The Soin-Koru multipurpose dam project is expected to provide 102 000 m3/day of water to a population of 1.71 million and to end water shortages in the neighboring counties of Kericho, Nandi, and Kisumu.
It will also act as a sediment trap, reducing sediment build-up downstream, which is the main cause of flooding and ensure regulation of the river flow, thus providing water for irrigation all year round. The reservoir will also offer opportunities in fishing and water-based tourism activities.