Umthetho wase-US ucela uphando malunga nokuthengiswa kwezixhobo ze-418 yezigidi zeedola eKenya

Ilungu leCongress yaseNorth Carolina lifuna uphando malunga nekhontrakthi enokubakho yezigidi ezingama-418 zeedola phakathi kweKenya kunye nekontraka enkulu yezokhuselo yase-US ebhengezwe ngosuku lokugqibela lukaMongameli Obama e-ofisini - isivumelwano esifunwa ngulo mthetho sithetha ngokudibana.

Ummeli weRiphabhlikhi u-Ted Budd ufuna i-Ofisi ye-Accountability Government iphande isivumelwano phakathi kwesizwe sase-Afrika kunye ne-L3 Technologies yaseNew York yokuthengisa iinqwelomoya ze-12 ezixhobileyo zokujikeleza umda. Uthe ufuna ukwazi ukuba kutheni inkampani encinci enamagqala eNorth Carolina - egxile ekwenzeni iinqwelomoya ezinje - ingathathwanga njengomvelisi.

IOMAX USA Inc., eseMooresville kwaye yasekwa ligqala loMkhosi wase-US, inikezele ukwakha iKenya iinqwelomoya ezixhobileyo malunga nezigidi ezingama-281 zeedola - ngexabiso eliphantsi kakhulu kunelo lithengiswe sikhuphisana nalo, i-L3.

"Kukho into enuka kakubi apha," uBudd uxelele iFox News. "Umkhosi womoya wase-US udlule kwi-IOMAX, ene-50 yezi nqwelomoya esele zisebenza kuMbindi Mpuma."

"Banikwe isivumelwano esingenamali," utshilo uBudd ngeKenya, ecele kwi-US 12 inqwelomoya exhobileyo kumlo wayo ochasene neqela labanqolobi i-Al-Shabaab kufutshane nomda wayo osemantla.

“Sifuna ukuphatha amahlakani ethu njengeKenya ngokufanelekileyo,” utshilo. Kwaye sifuna ukwazi ukuba kutheni i-IOMAX ingaqwalaselwanga.

(I-IOMAX isebenza kwinqwelomoya yeNgelosi enkulu kumzi-mveliso ose-Albany, eGa.)

Isithethi seSebe leSizwe asizange siphendule kwisicelo sokuphawula malunga nesivumelwano.

Umthombo onolwazi ngothethwano uxelele iFox News ukuba inkqubo ibikuphuhliso kunye neSebe likarhulumente kangangesithuba esingangonyaka kwaye isibhengezo sayo ngosuku lokugqibela luka-Obama e-ofisini “yayisenzeka ngebhaqo.”

I-L3, okwangoku, igxothwe ngokuqinileyo naliphi na ibango lokukhetha kwisivumelwano sayo neKenya - eyavunywa liSebe likaRhulumente, hayi i-White House - kwaye yatyhalela emva kwiingxelo ezingazange zakhe inqwelomoya.

"Naziphi na izityholo ezibuza amava e-L3 ekuveliseni esi sixhobo okanye 'ukulunga' kwenkqubo azichanekanga okanye zinyanzeliswa ngabom ngenxa yezizathu ezikhuphisanayo," yatsho inkampani kwingxelo yeFox News.

"I-L3 isandul 'ukufumana imvume kwiSebe leSizwe lase-US ukuze kuthengiswe i-Kenya yeenqwelo-moya kunye nenkxaso ehambelanayo, kuquka iinqwelomoya ze-Air Tractor AT-802L," kusho ikontrakta enkulu. "I-L3 inikezele ngeenqwelomoya ezininzi zeTrekta yoMoya, eziye zafana nomnikelo wethu eKenya kwaye ziye zaqinisekiswa ngokupheleleyo ukuba zikulungele ukusemoyeni zizo zombini iSatifikethi soHlobo oloNgezelelweyo lwe-FAA kunye nesiqinisekiso sohlobo lomkhosi wase-US Air Force."

“I-L3 kuphela kwenkampani enenqwelo-moya enezi ziqinisekiso,” utshilo uL3.

Kodwa uRon Howard, igqala loMkhosi wase-US owaqala i-IOMAX ngo-2001, wathi, “Sithi sodwa” esenza iinqwelomoya ezinezixhobo ezicelwe yiKenya.

Umzi-mveliso we-IOMAX e-Albany, e-Ga., ulungisa izivuthuvuthu zezityalo zibe ziinqwelo-moya eziqiniswe ngezixhobo ezifana nemijukujelwa ye-Hellfire kunye nezixhobo zokucupha. Inqwelomoya exhobileyo ibizwa ngokuba yiNgelosi enkulu, utshilo uHoward, kwaye inokudubula okanye ibhombu ngokuchaneka okukhulu ukusuka ezinyaweni ezingama-20,000.

"Inqwelomoya yenzelwe ukuba ithule kwaye ingaviwa," uHoward uxelele iFox News. Uthe i-IOMAX inabaninzi esele isebenza kuMbindi Mpuma - ithengwe yi-United Arab Emirates kwaye yahlakazeka kwamanye amazwe kummandla, njengeJordan kunye neYiputa.

I-IOMAX inabasebenzi be-208, isiqingatha sabo singamagqala ase-US, utshilo uHoward.

NgoFebruwari, uRobert Godec, unozakuzaku waseMelika eKenya, wathi, "Inkqubo yokuthengiswa komkhosi wase-US ifuna isaziso kwiCongress yase-US kwaye ivumela iikomiti zolongamela kunye nabakhuphisana nabo kwezorhwebo ithuba lokuphonononga yonke ipakethe ngaphambi kokuba inikwe umntu onokuthi athenge."

UGodec uthe urhulumente waseKenya akasayinanga nasiphi na isivumelwano sokuthenga iinqwelomoya e-US kwaye wayibiza inkqubo eqhubekayo "ekuhleni, evulekileyo kwaye kufanelekile."

“Oku kuthengiswa komkhosi kunokwenzeka ngokupheleleyo kuya kwenziwa ngokuhambelana nemithetho nemimiselo efanelekileyo,” utshilo. "I-United States imi kunye neKenya kumlo ochasene nobunqolobi."