The Chairperson of the National Elections Commission (NEC), Davidetta Brown-Lansanah, in a press conference on October 25, 2022 at the NEC’s headquarters, expressed more interest in EKEMP, and overly justified reasons why EKEMP is best suited to be awarded Liberia’s first biometric cards for the 2023 elections, despite the failure of the company’s equipment to print in time.
The PPCC recently rejected EKEMP and communicated to the NEC to promptly review the remaining bidders to select a company that would ably conduct Liberia’s biometric voter’s registration process.
It can be recalled that on October 7, 2022, during the redemonstration/re-evaluation, EKEMP “poorly performed” by reportedly failing to print a biometric card on the spot and within the allotted time, which was also a major requirement to be awarded the sensitive biometric voter’s registration contract.
Members of the National Elections Commission (NEC) Bid Evaluation Committee, international partners and others were shocked to see NEC’s preferred company’s failure to prove an accurate demonstration to be awarded the biometric contract during the most recent reevaluation and redemonstration exercise.
The Hot Pepper’s reporter who witnessed the redemonstration process said EKEMP did not show a proved experience to print a PVC card on demand and in the specified time in the presence of a five-member bid evaluation committee, to justify why the biometric voters’ registration cards contract should be given to them.
EKEMP was heavily criticized by the public and a few competitors for its inability to professionally perform, following Cllr. Davidetta Brown Lansanah’s assurance, which she provided to the Liberian Senate, that EKEMP has experience in biometric voters’ card production, supply and has the financial power to prefinance.
EKEMP is on record for blaming NEC’s procurement evaluation panel for its inability to print biometric cards on the spot and identify multiple voters’ registrations, when it was observed that they (EKEMP) were unable to print on the spot and in the time specified.
This is not the first time the NEC, under the leadership of Davidetta Browne-Lansanah has been involved a mal-procurement practice. In November 2021 the NEC Chairperson came under huge criticism and public outcry for awarding US$182,320 for the renting of 20 facial recognition thermometers contract to Tuma Enterprise, whose owners are reported to be brothers of hers.