The World Bank has barred Webmasters Kenya Ltd. and its director, James Ayugi, from taking part in World Bank-funded projects for at least five years over alleged fraudulent and obstructive practices.
The decision was issued by the World Bank Sanctions Board under Sanctions Board Decision No. 147.
According to the World Bank, the case involved a project in Somalia where Webmasters Kenya Ltd. submitted the CVs of two experts as part of its technical proposal.
The company reportedly confirmed during contract negotiations that the two experts would be available to work on the project. However, the bank later found that the experts had not given permission for their CVs to be used.
The World Bank said the misrepresentation was aimed at securing about US$98,000 (approximately KSh12.69 million) in payments set aside for the two experts.
The bank also accused Ayugi and the company of obstructing an audit by failing to provide meaningful responses to requests for documents during the investigation.
As a result, the Sanctions Board imposed a minimum five-year debarment on Ayugi and Webmasters Kenya Ltd. The ban is subject to conditions, meaning they can only be released from the sanctions after the five-year period if they meet requirements set by the board.
The World Bank classified the conduct as fraudulent and obstructive practices under its guidelines governing consultants working on projects financed by the institution.
Webmasters Kenya Ltd. has been associated with the development and operation of Kenya’s eCitizen digital services platform.
The World Bank clarified that the sanctions concern conduct linked to a World Bank-financed project in Somalia.
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