Senate committee raises concern over Sh346 billion stalled projects
Government officials inspect the stalled Sh21 million blood bank at the Homa Bay County Referral Hospital last month. Work on the facility stopped in 2015. PHOTO | GEORGE ODIWUOR | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- The Senator blamed the current governors for the sorry state of affairs.
- Charles Kibiru said about Sh48.9 billion could have been lost after some projects by county and national governments collapsed.
The Senate Committee on Trade has raised concern over the stalled Sh346 billion projects funded by the national and county governments across the country.
Committee chairman, Charles Kibiru, regretted that the projects -which include dispensaries, houses and water — had been abandoned as Kenyans continued suffering.
Speaking at the Kirinyaga County Assembly in Kerugoya town on Friday, Mr Kibiru told ward representatives that it was a shame that taxpayers' money was going to waste instead of being used for the intended purpose.
He said about Sh48.9 billion could have been lost after some projects by county and national governments collapsed due to poor management.
PROJECTS
The Senator blamed the current governors for the sorry state of affairs. “The current governors refused to complete the projects started by their predecessors, and that is why we have this problem,” said Mr Kibiru. He added that the national government should also be held accountable for failing to allocate funds to complete the projects it initiated and for not monitoring the contractors.
He noted that the Senate Public Accounts Committee was concerned by the increasing number of incomplete projects.
Accompanied by his Delegated Legislation Committee counterpart, Samuel Poghisio, Mr Kibiru said audits by PAC had revealed a bad record of development projects in Kenya. “I have moved a motion seeking to ensure that no new projects are started before the old ones are completed. This motion will curb the misuse of taxpayers' money," he added.
FINANCIAL YEAR
Mr Poghisio said the governments must be tamed by enacting laws prohibiting the misuse of taxpayers' money.
Meanwhile, Tigania West MP John Mutunga has warned the national government Constituency Development Fund committee against initiating projects they cannot complete within a financial year.
Speaking when he disbursed CDF Sh29.6 million bursaries to students, Mr Mutunga said: “We want to ensure no project initiated under my watch is left incomplete when my term expires. Since the CDF board allocates money based on projects proposed, we are giving our proposals with realistic budgets to ensure nothing fails.”
