The executive director in the ministry of health Ben Nangombe has expressed concern over the Central Procurement Board of Namibia’s decision to cancel the multimillion-dollar medical tender that caused major public uproar last month.
The public outcry included calls for President Hage Geingob to intervene, but he said since the change in public procurement legislation, he has no such powers. He, however, called on the CPBN to do the right thing.
Part of the tender was awarded to a three-year-old company owned by businessman Shapwa Kanyama’s company Amnics Trading, which only employed three people on a permanent basis. The N$650 million tender includes the supply of surgical gloves for N$400 million, condoms for N$111 million, and other medical supplies.
This contract was part of the N$2,8 billion batch of health tenders awarded by the CPBN.
The board yesterday announced that it cancelled the tender on grounds that “the aggregate total cost of the bid in question exceeds the total cost estimate provided by the public entity.”
That was based on Section 54(1)(b) of the Public Procurement Act, 15 of 2015.
In an interview with New Era, Nangombe said the ministry has been trying to avoid the cancellation of the debated tender, as it is a setback for them.
“Having a long-term contract in place is crucial for the ministry because the service delivery is much faster and the prices are predictable. Without the long-term tender, we are not just going to fold our arms. We will have to resort to emergency procurement, which is what we initially didn’t want,” he stated.
Nangombe indicated that the ministry’s threshold is only N$25 million. Therefore, in the absence of a long-term tender, the quantity of the items will be low.
“We will be buying the needed medical items in smaller quantities, and this means slower service delivery,” said the executive director.
The health ministry has been a hotbed of questionable tenders over the years.
Activists rejoice
While the tender withdrawal might have been a big blow for flamboyant businessman Kanyama and others, it has left politicians and activists smiling from ear to ear.
The Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL)’s spokesperson Moses Sikerete said they are happy with the new development.
“We wanted to see if the CPBN takes into account the cries of the Namibian people. At this point in time, Namibia needs to save more money and prioritise. We need to be cognisant of the resources that we have at our disposal. If there are faults in the procurement system, it is necessary that we sit and relook it and take the best decision in the best interest of the Namibian people,” he noted.
Supporting similar sentiments was Duminga Ndala of the Landless People’s Movement (LPM), who said public pressure has contributed to the cancellation of the tender.
“We are very happy that our concerns are heard, and we just hope that next time the allocation of these tenders are in conformity with the law and the best interests of the nation,” she said.
Ndala feels that the board allocated the tender in question to promote the interests of “their own people”.
Asked for her take on Nangombe’s statement, she said the ministry should have planned ahead in case of unfortunate instances occurring.
“It is unfortunate that there might be implications on the health sector, but that was up to the ministry to plan and make sure there are no irregularities in its tenders,” emphasised the youth leader.
– ashikololo@nepc.com.na