A total of 43 companies are currently on the blacklist of the Rwanda Public Procurement Authority (RPPA) after they were found to have flouted tendering procedures across the country.

The list of blacklisted companies is posted on the NPPA website.This was announced by the RPPA Director, Augustus Seminega, during an exclusive interview with The New Times.

Seminega said that any company that violates the procurement law is subject to punishment which includes blacklisting for up to 3 years.

A blacklisted company is barred from bidding for public tenders.

"This (Blacklisting) is done when a company is fails to deliver, forges bidding documents or is involved in collusion as a way of getting an upper hand,” Seminega said.

He noted that where forgery of documents is the case, the company, apart from being blacklisted, is liable to prosecution.

"Forgery is illegal and criminal, and soon after blacklisting the company, we work with the National Public Prosecution Authority for legal action,” he said.

Seminega added that 56 companies had served blacklisting terms since 2005 when RPPA was established. He cautioned companies against breaking the law

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