Lawmakers are investigating changes to a contract for building the International Sports Academy at the Moi Sports Centre Kasarani stadium in Nairobi from Sh859.8 million to Sh1.03 billion.

Members of the National Assembly’s Public Investments, Administration and Agriculture Committee, chaired by Navakholo MP Emmanuel Wangwe, want to establish how the cost shot up.

The questions were directed at Kenya Academy of Sports (KAS) CEO Doreen Odhiambo, who appeared before the panel to respond to audit questions raised by Auditor General Nancy Gathungu.

True cost of the project.

Said Wangwe: “I feel we need to open a full inquiry into the project so that we get the actual cost of the project. We will be able to convert this discussion into an inquiry where all the parties will be invited to testify in it.”

Peter Masara (Suna West) demanded that the committee declare KAS hostile witness over its failure to provide critical documents like the bill of quantities.

“We must treat this organisation as hostile; there are documents they are hiding from us. You can’t vary the cost of the project without [the bill of quantities], what then is the basis of the variation?” Masara posed.

The committee’s decision came after Odhiambo said she had been unable to get documents from Sports Kenya.

Contractor’s fee

On the changes that led to the overpayment, Odhiambo explained that the contractor’s fee was not included in the initial project.

She said: “In the conceptual stages of the project, the Sports Stadia Management board engaged the services of private consultants to develop architectural designs [and] bills of quantities and supervise the implementation of the entire project.”

She added: “The consultant’s fees were not included in the contract amount for phase one as they were calculated based on the completion certificates issued. The varied amount was paid to the project consultants.”

Sports Kenya entered into a contract for building the International Sports Academy on March 21, 2013, for Sh859.8 million, including a two-floor hostel, two football pitches, two for basketball, and one for rugby, and a borehole.

The Gathungu report said that because of the circumstances, “the validity of the contract variation could not be confirmed”.

Topographical survey

Sports Kenya also spent Sh3.1 billion on renovations at the Moi International Sports Centre and another Sh1.5 billion on a design feasibility study and topographical survey for the construction of constituency sports academies.

The audit report also shows that the department spent a whopping Sh1 billion to procure consultancy services for Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) stadia and another Sh352 million for regional consultancy services.