French company in corruption scandal to supply BVR kits
A French IT company that was caught in a corruption saga in Nigeria about eight years ago is now primed to supply the biometric tender registration kits to the electoral body.
According to sources, Safran Morpho has been picked to supply the biometric voter registration kits for the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission. This is after the Canadian company, Code Inc., was left out because it could not manufacture the kits in time for the exercise.
Safran Morpho, previously Sagem S. A. is understood to have already ordered up to 15,000 parts of the BVR kits from Dell, an American multinational computer technology corporation. The company was among the bidders for the IEBC tender that was cancelled. It however did not make it to the shortlist that included 4G of India, Symphony of Kenya, Face Technologies of South Africa and Ontrack Innovations of Israel.
It was represented in the IEBC tender opening by a B. Ravier, Francis Cito and Jacob Chuwa. All the three did not respond to our queries yesterday. The French company had also not responded to our e-mail questions sent to its headquarters in Paris, France by the time of going to press.
The company had participated in the Sh8 billion third generation National Identity Cards tender that was nullified by the Public Procurement Review Administrative Board after the Ministry of Immigration forged minutes.
The government of Canada is procuring the BVR kits for IEBC in what is termed as "a government to government deal" with Nairobi in which the former is giving Kenya a Sh4.6 billion loan.
The Kenya government offered to assist IEBC procure the kits after the original tender was cancelled. IEBC chairman Ahmed Issack Hassan told two parliamentary committees that the tender was cancelled because the first two shortlisted firms, 4G and Symphony did not meet the integrity test while the other two, Facetech and Ontrac had quoted above budget.
Safran Morpho, then trading as Sagem S. A, was caught in a web of corruption in Abuja, over which the Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo sacked some ministers for taking bribes.
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