Some members of Kenya's parliamentary committee for energy and ICT have questioned the deal between leading operator Safaricom and government to set up a national surveillance system aimed at curbing insecurity in the country.

The project, which is set to have 1,800 closed circuit television systems in Nairobi and Mombasa, will have facial recognition software to aid security agencies in fighting terrorism in the country.

The system is also expected to cost the taxpayer $172 million.  Kenya's surveillance project is planned to take effect in Nairobi by December 2014 and in 18 months time in Mombasa.

The committee raised various questions on what the deal contains and why Safaricom was the only firm sourced for the project.

And they have demanded that the details of the deal be made public for all Kenyans to see.

"Clearly this arrangement with the government of the republic of Kenya is an attempt as circumventing competitive bidding,” said Rarieda MP Nicholas Gumbo, a member of the energy and ICT committee.

The MPs also questioned what Safaricom’s profit will be and their ability to deliver a sophisticated and sensitive system.

The comments come days after the government with Safaricom launched a television advert to sensitise Kenyans on the impending project that will improve security in the East African nation.  

Earlier this year, the government had to cancel its tender to supply primary school children with laptops to improve learning after the tendering process was questioned in court and subsequently scrapped.