Contractor counts losses as Sh6m Kilifi project is abandoned
Members of the Sokoke Development Initiative inspect the stalled Sh6.5 million Mwarandinda dispensary in Sokoke ward in Ganze on Wednesday, December 11 2024.
During the 2013 General Election campaigns, the Mwarandinda community in the remote areas of Sokoke in Ganze, Kilifi County proposed to politicians that they needed a dispensary nearby.
Upon coming into office, the then Ganze Member of Parliament Peter Shehe agreed to implement the proposal.
The dispensary was planned to be constructed on a two-acre piece of land from 2015, by Jibana Construction Company which won the tender.
However, due to delays in funding, the work commenced in 2018 but later stalled. This is after the contractor moved to court to demand his payment.
In a twist of events, Sokoke MCA Thaura Mweni initiated the construction of another Sh26 million dispensary nearby.
The contractor of the initial project, Mr William Mganga said this has cost him a fortune especially after he agreed to withdraw the case so that the project can go on.
"I have been in court for six years fighting for what belongs to me,” he said.
Mr Mganga said the Ganze National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) advertised the tender, and he successfully secured the job in 2015.
By that time, the Ganze NG-CDF had advertised the construction of four facilities, including the Mudzi dispensary in Jaribuni ward, Mwarandinda, Mwahera and Kaembeni dispensaries.
“The work cost Sh6.5 million, and I was to be paid in phases. I had started the work when the Project Management Committee (PMC) asked me to stop since the county government was working on the architectural work, but I later continued after some time,” he said.
Mr Mganga was paid Sh1 million in the first installment, then Sh900,000 for the second payment.
“We had gone past the deadline because of the many delays by the NG-CDF with no proper pay despite having done 75 percent of the construction work, and I had to move to court to demand my money,” he said.
He said all health projects by the National Government were devolved, and the Kilifi County of Health moved to re-advertise the work, to which he objected and retained the work.
Mr Mganga filed a case in 2018 but could not proceed smoothly, leading to the delays.
“The case did not kick off in court, and the matter was just being mentioned until I gave up and had to change my lawyer until May 2022 when we opted for an out-of-court settlement, and the matter was officially withdrawn in December 2023," he explained.
The Sh6.5 million Mwarandida dispensary has stalled for over nine years, and a new Sh29 million facility is being constructed about 100 metres away.
Already, Sh16 million is in place for the new project, Sh8 million from the Equalisation Fund, and the area MCA is expected to allocate the remainder in the coming supplementary budget.
The project was meant for the community that travelled on boda boda for over 10 kilometres to Vitengeni Health Center, Kaembeni, Madamado and Dzikunze dispensaries seeking treatment.
It was expected to serve over 15,000 from the expansive Mwahera location. The community confirmed that a contractor is already on the new site and the work is ongoing.
“We fear that the Mwarandinda dispensary will not be completed, and we will continue to suffer because the available money is funding a new dispensary. We are not sure if the project will be successful,” Ms Florence Koi, a resident, said.
The Chairperson Sokoke Development Initiative (SODI) James Hare said although the facility stalled after the contractor moved to court to demand his payments, it should have proceeded when the case was dismissed and parties allowed to settle the matter out of court.
Mr Hare said the stalled project only required finishing to serve the community.
He called on the relevant County departments, including health and finance, to stop the construction of the new facility.
When reached for comment, Sokoke MCA Thaura Mweni declined to speak about the matter.
However, Kilifi County Executive Committee Member for Health Peter Mwarogo confirmed they had received complaints from the Sokoke community about the project. This is because county governments are now the custodians of grants issued by the national government through the equalisation fund.
Mr Mwarogo said the community demanded to have the stalled dispensary completed.
He explained that he was waiting for an official report and direction from the legal department on the status of the matter.
"We are waiting for a report from the legal department on the position of the matter. The community said the case was withdrawn from court but I need to confirm," he said.
Mr Mwarogo said several health facilities were initiated since devolution and have stalled while new facilities were initiated in places close to the initial ones.
He said the health department has since taken action to complete and operationalise some of the stalled projects.