World Bank Debars eCitizen Builder Webmasters Kenya For 5 Years

The World Bank Group has imposed a minimum five-year debarment on Webmasters Kenya Limited and its founder and CEO, James Ayugi, citing fraudulent and obstructive practices during an international procurement process.The decision, contained in Sanctions Board Decision No. 147 (Sanctions Case No. 790), places renewed scrutiny on the Kenyan technology company, which has been associated with the development of eCitizen, Kenya’s central digital government services platform.According to findings published by the World Bank’s Integrity Vice Presidency (INT), the misconduct occurred during procurement processes for development projects in Somalia.Webmasters Kenya submitted bids to develop a Single Business Registration System for Somalia’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry under two World Bank-financed programmes: the Somali Core Economic Institutions and Opportunities Project (SCORE) and the Somalia Capacity Advancement, Livelihoods and Entrepreneurship through Digital Uplift Project (SCALED-UP).The World Bank found that Webmasters Kenya included the CVs of two proposed key experts in its technical bids, indicating that the professionals were committed to and available for the contracts.However, when the World Bank contacted the individuals, both denied authorising the use of their CVs or consenting to being listed as key experts.The Sanctions Board found that the misrepr...