Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), General Robert Kibochi opined about forming a company to compete for government tenders with private developers and contractors.
Kibochi, in an interview with KBC on Wednesday, July 28, argued that private developers were expensive to hire and at times exaggerated costs.
The CDF affirmed that security and development coincide and that the military is tasked with assisting the government whenever needed.
“There are places where contractors aren’t comfortable undertaking projects due to insecurity, we have therefore had to provide them with security. What would happen if we had a construction company managed by the military? Soldiers wouldn’t need to be protected to do the job and it would be cheaper for the Government,” he argued.
Kibochi disclosed that the KDF has saved the government billions of shillings in areas where private contractors wanted to extort it. In Kisumu, military engineers reportedly spent Ksh50 million to revamp the MV Uhuru as opposed to the Ksh1.5 billion demanded by private developers.
"We are ready to undertake any task given to us by the Commander In Chief. We have the capacity and as of now have doctors working with the Ministry of Health since COVID-19 started.
"There is nothing wrong with involving the military, you don’t pay extra for the work at Kenya Meat Commission, or pay the engineers to do the railway, or the navy to do the Kisumu port. In essence, the Government is utilizing its resources and KDF is a huge resource,” General Kibochi added.
He castigated those reprimanding President Uhuru Kenyatta for militarising public institutions and defended the head of state.
According to Kibochi, the military works towards transforming and influencing the working culture and ethics of some public institutions. This, he argued, can be witnessed in the Kenya Meat Commission where Uhuru ordered the military to streamline operations and the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) under Director-General Mohamed Badi.
Discipline, he stated, is paramount for all officers in the military and this is the key identity that separates them from private contractors.
"Kenyans are happy with Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS). A very good number of Kenyans are very happy with what is happening.
"Some are still hellbent on continuing with the bad ways and want to use this militarization as an excuse for the military not to deliver," Kibochi noted.
