Make correct decisions to curb public funds losses
What you need to know:
- The blatant rip-offs due to blunders and costly decisions continue unabated.
- It is a shame that ‘rescue’ schools in Baringo have turned into white elephants.
The wanton wastefulness and rot in the country, especially in the public sector, are simply unbelievable. The blatant rip-offs due to blunders and costly decisions continue unabated.
It is because those tasked with implementing or managing projects or programmes for the people’s benefit are either incompetent or more interested in their personal gain.
Nearly four years ago, two major lakes in the Rift Valley, Baringo and Bogoria, burst their banks, causing massive flooding and the displacement of people.
Also severely affected were schools, which had to be relocated for the safety of the young learners and their teachers. This was meant to ensure continued learning in the schools directly affected by the floods in Baringo South and Baringo North sub-counties.
Colossal losses of funds
It is a shame, therefore, that these ‘rescue’ schools have turned into white elephants. The planners appear not to have factored in the distances that learners would have to cover to reach their new institutions, and also ensure their safety, after it became clear that some schools had been moved to an area prone to the perennial banditry menace.
Despite the heavy investment, the new institutions have been abandoned, after learners and their teachers chose to return to their former schools, citing the long distances they had to cover and safety concerns.
The Ministry of Education and an NGO had spent huge amounts of money on the relocation of the learners and their teachers, to the new sites. A damning example is a new dormitory built for young learners who now sleep in one of their classrooms. It cost Sh4.6 million but was too far away from the villages and in an area prone to bandit attacks.
The Child Fund gave Sh30 million for the construction of a primary school, while the education ministry donated Sh5 million for the construction of two secondary schools. The children returned to their old schools when the Lake Baringo water level receded.
There is a need for prudent decision making on public-funded projects to avoid such colossal losses and ensure that the goals of these socio-economic programmes are realised for the people’s benefit.
