The term Lipa kama tender, was coined in the first term of the Jubilee Government. It was a way to show how lucrative dealing with the government makes you.
Contractors, who get small projects like drilling boreholes end up driving Harriers with no boreholes dug.
Anyway, Fred Matiang’i could be the best thing that happened to Kenyans. After the announcement that Kenyan Police will have new uniforms, some tender cartels wanted to make a kill from the project. They intended to import raw materials for the mass production of the uniforms.
But Matiang’i insisted the uniforms will be produced locally:
“Listen to me very carefully. We will not import police uniforms, go and write another 10 headlines. We will not import police uniforms from any country. We have to promote the local textile industry,” He said in December.
And the Super Minister has now revealed that the government has saved 700 million in the making of the uniforms locally. This money would be in the pockets of cartels.
“It is foolishness to spend our resources to import things we can get here in Kenya,” Matiang’i said.
Matiang’i spoke on Monday when he visited the NYS camp where the uniforms are being made.
The CS further directed government ministries who make their uniforms to do so locally and not importing them.
“I am happy and proud to be a Kenyan and we are supporting our own. The money we use for these goods and services is not our money… isn’t it wise to support local content?” he posed.
“Those who told us senseless stories about Kenya not having the materials should come and see what we are seeing here.”
Matiang’i said sewing the uniforms locally was a way to support Kenya’s economy and create employment.
“This is so that we support our economy…we have taken this decision and we are working on this… we will create a system to track this.. you can not do it theoretically but practically,” he said.
“Why on earth would we import uniform with all this capacity? ..ati kwa sababu watu wanataka kuhongana and we all wear these uniforms hii upumbavu lazima tuache, tujenge nchi.”