Okiya Omtatah asks KNEC to provide details on procurement of examination materials

Busia County Senator Okiya Omtatah.[File, Standard]

Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah wants the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) to provide details concerning the procurement, contracting and printing of national examination material for this year.

Omtatah wants KNEC to give information concerning how tendering for 2026 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education(KCSE), Kenya Junior School Education Assessment(KJSEA) and Kenya Primary School Education Assessment(KPSEA) was done.

The Busia Senator asked KNEC to provide the tender number, title and date of commencement of the procurement process relating to the printing of the 2026 KCSE, KISEA, and KPSEA examination materials.

“The procurement method used, including whether the procurement was undertaken through open tendering, restricted tendering, direct procurement, request for proposals, or any other procurement method under the law,” said Omtatah.

He said where a procurement method other than open tendering was used, the specific statutory provision and factual circumstances relied upon to justify the method adopted and the number of firms that submitted bids,were invited to bid or otherwise participated in procurement process.

Omtatah wants KNEC to provide evaluation criteria and requirements applied to bidders, including, where applicable, technical capacity, financial capacity, relevant experience, security requirements, production capacity and other qualification criteria.

The Busia Senator asked KNEC to name and give particulars of the successful bidders the relevant tender evaluation and award decision, to the extent that these documents or portions thereof are not lawfully exempt from disclosure.

“We would like to know the total value of the contract awarded for the printing, packaging, handling or distribution of the examination materials, the amount budgeted and approved by KNEC for the procurement and the relevant budget vote, programme or allocation from which the expenditure is met,” said Omtatah.

The Senator asked KNEC to reveal whether the contract value is within the approved budget for the procurement and, if not, the authority relied upon for committing expenditure in excess of the approved allocation.

Omtatah asked KNEC to state whether the contract has been executed and, if so: the date of execution; the duration of the contract; and the scope of services covered by the contract with the amount, if any, that has already been paid or committed under the contract as at the date of this request.

The Senator sought to know whether the successful bidder is a Kenyan company incorporated and operating in Kenya; a foreign company; a Kenyan company acting in partnership or joint venture with a foreign company; or any other form of legal entity.

“Where the successful bidder is a Kenyan company, whether KNEC satisfied itself, before award of the contract, that the company possessed the technical, financial and operational capacity and relevant experience necessary to undertake the printing of national examination materials,” said Omtatah.

Where the successful bidder is a foreign company the country in which it is incorporated identity of any Kenyan partner, subcontractor or local agent, where applicable; and the extent to which the printing and other contracted services will be performed within Kenya and outside Kenya.

Omtatah sought to know whether the successful bidder was required, as part of the tender requirements, to demonstrate compliance with its tax obligations and other applicable statutory requirements and whether KNEC verified the successful bidder's tax compliance status with the Kenya Revenue Authority before the award of the contract.