Presidential candidates’ cars delay worries PPDA
Sep 13, 2010
WITH only six months left to the general elections, the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA) is worried that the Electoral Commission (EC) has delayed submitting tender documents for the procurement of vehicles of presidential candidates.
By Francis Emorut
WITH only six months left to the general elections, the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA) is worried that the Electoral Commission (EC) has delayed submitting tender documents for the procurement of vehicles of presidential candidates.
The nomination of presidential candidates is slated for October 25 and 26, while the presidential and parliamentary elections will be held in February 2011.
“We are still waiting for the EC to present tender documents for the procurement of election materials, but time has run out,†Milton Tumutegyereize, the PPDA director of training and capacity building said.
Tumutegyereize said the delay may cause EC to opt for the direct or restricted bidding method, which is prone to malpractices.
He was presenting a paper titled “Overview of the tendering process in Uganda-mitigating challenges,†at the Grand Imperial Hotel in Kampala during a meeting organised by Transparency International Uganda on Friday.
The meeting was aimed at bringing the private sector on board to fight corruption.
Tumutegyereize argued that with restricted bidding, suppliers are limited and the companies are known.
The method, he added, fuels corruption because contracts and evaluation committees usually approve supplier of their preference to get kickbacks.
He said the Government loses billions of shillings in the procurement process due to interested parties, including politicians.
Tumutegyereize said the agency has put in place a system to check malpractices in procurement, including relying on whistle-blowers and the Inspector General of Government, the media and civil society.
About the delay in the submission of tender documents for the purchase of presidential cars, the EC spokesperson, Willy Charles Ochola, said the process is underway.
WITH only six months left to the general elections, the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA) is worried that the Electoral Commission (EC) has delayed submitting tender documents for the procurement of vehicles of presidential candidates.
The nomination of presidential candidates is slated for October 25 and 26, while the presidential and parliamentary elections will be held in February 2011.
“We are still waiting for the EC to present tender documents for the procurement of election materials, but time has run out,†Milton Tumutegyereize, the PPDA director of training and capacity building said.
Tumutegyereize said the delay may cause EC to opt for the direct or restricted bidding method, which is prone to malpractices.
He was presenting a paper titled “Overview of the tendering process in Uganda-mitigating challenges,†at the Grand Imperial Hotel in Kampala during a meeting organised by Transparency International Uganda on Friday.
The meeting was aimed at bringing the private sector on board to fight corruption.
Tumutegyereize argued that with restricted bidding, suppliers are limited and the companies are known.
The method, he added, fuels corruption because contracts and evaluation committees usually approve supplier of their preference to get kickbacks.
He said the Government loses billions of shillings in the procurement process due to interested parties, including politicians.
Tumutegyereize said the agency has put in place a system to check malpractices in procurement, including relying on whistle-blowers and the Inspector General of Government, the media and civil society.
About the delay in the submission of tender documents for the purchase of presidential cars, the EC spokesperson, Willy Charles Ochola, said the process is underway.