National Cohesion Committee Probes IEBC and NTSA On Employment
National Assembly Committee on National Cohesion and Equal Opportunities chaired by Hon. Yusuf Adan met with representatives of National Transport and Safety Authority and Independent Electral and Boundaries Commission on employment diversity and 30% procurement reservation for special interest groups.
The Committee observed that out of the eight hundred and eighty-three (883) staff in IEBC, 51.1% of employees are from four (4) communities while NTSA with a total of six hundred and forty two (642).
Article 54 (2) provides that the State shall ensure the progressive implementation of the principle that at least 5% of the members of the public in elective and appointive bodies are persons with disabilities. IEBC has employed only nine (9) Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) representing 1.02% while NTSA has eight (8) employees representing 1.3%.
Members also inquired on the measures IEBC and NTSA has put in place in order to ensure that they increase the representation and provide adequate and equal opportunities for Persons with Disabilities.
Regarding procurement the Committee Members scrutinized documents provided on the summary of awards by IEBC for the past seven (7) financial years and noted that no contract awarded has achieved the required 30% target.
Lawmakers’ raised alarm about non compliance by IEBC noting that some companies have been awarded contracts to procure goods and services to the Commission repeatedly wondering why they are not giving equal opportunity to Kenyans.
For NTSA the Authority says the reasons for not meeting 30% reservation is due to the fact there procurement items are specialised and security items e.g Number plates, logbooks, Driving Licenses etc .
Members of Parliament wanted to know if the Commission and Authority are creating awareness through sensitization forums on their specific tender requirements to the youth, women and Persons with Disabilities, in order to enhance their ability to participate in the public procurement opportunities.
The Committee on National Cohesion and Equal Opportunities directed IEBC and NTSA to provide details on tender advertisements, evaluation committee reports, AGPO certificates of the companies whose goods and services that have been procured to verify the report.
The Committee is expected to prepare a report in the coming weeks.
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