IDEMIA, the Company given Huduma Namba tender sues Parliament

Company given Huduma Namba tender sues Parliament

Mumbi Mutuko

May 8, 2019 12:31 PM

IDEMIA gets back at Parliament after being blocked

President Uhuru Kenyatta (left), being taken through the Huduma Namba registration form

IDEMIA, formerly known as Safran Morpho, a French information technology company that supplied kits being used in the ongoing Huduma Namba registration has sued the National Assembly.

This is after the National Assembly voted to suspend IDEMIA from government contracts for 10 years, due to an allegation of a violation of the Companies Act and problems in the last two general elections.

According to the French firm, the report, recommendation and decision by Parliament was against the Fair Administrative Actions Act, 2015.

Company given Huduma Namba tender sues Parliament Pulse Live Kenya

IDEMIA defending itself

The firm asked the court to declare the report by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in breach of its rights.

IDEMIA defended itself saying the technology deployed provided fair value to the country after it had won a tender for 6 billion Kenyan shillings (US$59 million) to register Kenyans for the Huduma Namba.

PAC had ruled that IDEMIA was in violation of the Companies Act for not registering to operate in the country when it began business dealings with the government, but only sanctioned the IEBC.

MPs further accused the company of flouting the law by entering into a multi-billion shillings contract with IEBC, yet it did not have a physical address in Kenya.

Mumbi Mutuko