Kileleshwa MCA Robert Alai is against the procurement of an 18-carat gold-plated mace and vaults by the Nairobi county.
The county has invited bids for a mace that the head, neck, crest, shaft, and tail will all be gold-plated.
The state-of-the-art vault will have nine separate lockable compartments and will weigh at least 500 kg.
According to tender documents seen by Kahawa Tungu, the vault will be constructed with heavy-duty steel and lined up with fire-resistant materials that can withstand 1,000-degree centigrade temperatures for up to four hours.
On the other hand, the mace will weigh between 10kg and to 10.5kg and will stand 1.2 metres.
Its shaft will be split into six pieces, each piece manufactured in brass and plated in silver. The pieces will be split by seven solid brass rings plated in 18-carat gold.
“To ensure quality is achieved, the successful bidder shall be required to make provisions for the procuring entity’s (Assembly) user department and the technical experts in the field of mining and identification of precious stones to monitor the whole process,” the tender document reads in part.
The third piece of the proposed mace design will have five images; the Nairobi Expressway, Kenyatta International Conference Centre and Nairobi National Park.
It will also contain an image of Second World War memorial soldiers and City Hall building.
“The successful bidder shall be required to produce a dummy mace which should be an exact replica of the original mace in aesthetics but not the material content. The dummy mace should by all standards and size resemble the original and should be made of steel with golden coatings,” the document further states.
But according to Alai, the planned purchase is “wanton wastage of funds”.
“It’s wrong for the Nairobi City County Assembly to buy a new Mace as if that’s the most urgent thing,” said the Ward Rep.
He stated that a mace was not a priority at this time.
“There are many things which should be spent on. I condemn this tender and call on Nairobians to resist this wanton wastage of funds.”
The Governor Johnson Sakaja-led devolved unit is among those with the highest pending bills.
The figure has jumped from Sh100.35 billion in June 2022 to Sh107.33 billion at the end of June last year.
Email your news TIPS to Editor@Kahawatungu.com — this is our only official communication channel
