{"id":20893,"date":"2021-11-07T15:02:01","date_gmt":"2021-11-07T15:02:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/?p=20893"},"modified":"2021-11-07T15:03:35","modified_gmt":"2021-11-07T15:03:35","slug":"pre-shipment-mps-to-quiz-car-phone-firms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/pre-shipment-mps-to-quiz-car-phone-firms","title":{"rendered":"Pre-shipment: MPs to quiz car, phone firms"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Africa-Press-Uganda The parliamentary Committee on Trade, Tourism and Industry has summoned all companies undertaking Pre-Export Verification of Conformity (PVoC) goods such as used cars, mobile equipment and spare parts being imported to explain a range of issues, including their contracts.<\/p>\n

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The companied are expected to appear before the committee tomorrow.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Among the companies summoned are East Africa Company Ltd, formerly East African Automobile Services Ltd (EAA), which has been locked in disagreements with five Kenyan government agencies such as the Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) over cancellation of their tender for pre-inspection of second-hand vehicles from Japan.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The company, which works in joint venture with Japanese-based Auto Terminal Japan (ATJ), also operates a separate PVoC contract with Uganda Bureau of Standards (UNBS) for pre-inspection of second hand vehicles.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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A company official told Sunday Monitor that shadowy corrupt forces in Kenya are behind their woes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The chairperson of the parliamentary Committee on Trade, Mr Mpaka Mwine, on Friday said he is not aware of any corruption claims as the reason for summoning all PvoC contracted firms.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThe good thing most of us (MPs) are new on the committee, and in the House,\u201d Mr Mwine said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cIt is true we invited the companies on Monday, and we just want to interface with them; to share with us more about their work, their bid documents,..thing like that,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Uganda National Bureau of Statistics instituted PVoC about eight years ago to restrict influx of counterfeit and substandard imports into the country.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Incoming goods such as used cars are issued with a certificate of roadworthiness to allow them in the country during importation. The UNBS initially engaged companies, including EAA, Jabal Kilimanjaro Auto Mech, and Japan Export Vehicle Inspection Centre, whose contracts expired in May 2018 and were later renewed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In Kenya, EAAs was engaged by Kebs in March 2020 following expiry of the contract of another Japanese-based company, Quality Inspection Services Japan (QISJ).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Months later, the Kenyan parliamentary committee on public investments commenced investigation into awarding of the $13m (about Shs46b) tender to the EAAS and Auto Terminal Japan (ATJ) joint venture.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The committee in its report detailed that EAA had been previously reflagged for public procurement.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The committee also cited Kebs for awarding the PVoC contract without input from the Kenyan Attorney General\u2019s office.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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As a recommendation, the committee directed the Kenyan Public Procurement Regulatory Authority to further look into the tendering process started in 2019 and blacklist both EAAS and Auto Terminal Japan (ATJ) joint venture, for among others, submitting bogus documents as part of its bid.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Kenyan Auditor General in a separate audit indicated that the company forged documents that gave them a global presence and an older date of incorporation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Auditor General\u2019s investigations revealed that EAA had allegedly forged a Kebs form before filling it and attaching it as part of the 2011 bid.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Auditor General was compelled to file a complaint with Kenya\u2019s\u00a0 Public Procurement Regulatory Authority, which in June blacklisted the company from doing business in Kenya for three years on account of forgery and falsification of documents to clinch the tender.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Kenyan authorities working with Interpol have revealed that then EAA\u2019s global presence in major pre-shipment hubs such as Japan, United Kingdom and United Arabs Emirates was questionable.<\/p>\n

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The country\u2019s Directorate of Criminal Investigation opened investigations into the company last year after the Auditor General and the National Assembly\u2019s Public Investments Committee found that the firm used forged documents in its bid to win the tender.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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When contacted, UNBS said there\u2019s \u201cno comment on the matter for now.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n