SW delegation, a laboratory of corruption - Governor

Southwest Governor, Okalia Bilai Bernard has described SW Regional Delegation for Public Contracts as “a laboratory for experimenting bad practices.”

He made the remark at the installation ceremony of Alfred Njingti Kati, new South West Regional Delegate for Public Contracts Thursday, May 7.

In an installation speech seen rather as the reading of a ‘riot act’, Okalia made a spectacle of the many in competencies of outgoing delegate, Tobias Mbuwir who has been called to the central services of the ministry.

The governor said there was almost no collaboration between him and the former delegate and fell short of stating that there was “a clash of wills” between him and the former delegate.

“For over two and a half years as delegate of Public contracts in the South West, Shey Tobias Mbuwir gave a good account of himself…but the delegation is plagued by several shortcomings,” Governor Okalia said.

In a vain attempt to control his feelings regarding the functioning of the public contracts sector in the region under Tobias Mbuwir, the Governor poured out his frustrations.

“Let me be sincere. Your delegation has been working on the violation of rules of professional ethics… As if in a sporting competition, each person wanted to protect their protégées.” The governor said.

The statements made by the governor pointed to the fact that he was no longer at ease with the ousted regional delegate.

“There was the removal of vital documents from the files of rivalling contractors in favour of a protégée,” Okalia continued, adding that “there was the release of confidential information concerning bids. How will you explain the fact that somebody in your delegation called a bidder to say that a fellow bidder had given something and that the latter had to give something more if he has plans of winning the bid?”

In the governor’s own words, the corruption in the public contracts sector had reached alarming proportions. “If we cover up such massive corruption, it will get rotten,” Okalia said in an attempt to justify his outburst.

“The public contracts sector in the region has been transformed into a laboratory for experimenting bad practices,” Okalia stated as he announced that all such contracts awarded this year without due process have been cancelled by an order of the Minister of Public Contracts.

The governor then rolled out a riot act to the new regional delegate Alfred Njingti Kati to include:

“The practices denounced should belong to the past. You need to work very hard to change perceptions, transform mentalities and behaviours. You must be proactive, instil good governance and best practices. Time has come for coherent action. I’ll closely monitor your activities.”

Alfred Njingti Kati, born on September 9, 1972 in Nkambe Sub-division is a physics teacher and an engineer by training. He taught in several schools before his appointment as Divisional Delegate for Public Contracts in Mezam Division in 2012 from where he was promoted to the South West. He is married and a father of five children.

As governor Okalia puts it, Njingti has the right credentials to instill probity in the public contracts sector in the South West.

Aware of the challenges, Njinti promised to put in his best in order to produce laudable results.

Meanwhile, the out-gone regional Delegate boycotted the installation ceremony of his successor. Attempts to get him comment on the remarks made by Governor Okalia were fruitless.