Owalo reveals why most govt projects stall, vows digital overhaul if elected president
By Mustafa Juma, March 16, 2026Former ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo has attributed the frequent stalling of government projects in Kenya to corruption, diversion of funds, and conflicts of interest within public institutions.
Speaking on Monday, March 16, 2026, during an interview with K24 TV, Owalo said many development initiatives fail to reach completion because funds allocated for projects are often mismanaged or redirected, leaving critical infrastructure and public service programmes unfinished.
“When it comes to delivery, we run into challenges. Money is paid for a project, but more often than not, you find that it is diverted, and then projects end up stalling,” Owalo said.
Conflict of interest
The former Deputy Chief of Staff identified conflicts of interest as one of the most significant challenges affecting project implementation in the country.
“The biggest problem we have in government is conflict of interest. People in government being service providers at the same time,” he said.
Improving transparency and accountability
Owalo, who has declared interest in running for the presidency in the 2027 General Election, said technology and digital systems could play a critical role in improving transparency and accountability in government.
According to him, a comprehensive digital transformation of government operations would help seal loopholes that allow corruption and inefficiency to thrive.
“If I got the opportunity to facilitate digitalisation across the board, I would not just digitalise the provision of services; I would make sure that all procurement services are digitalised,” Owalo stated.
He proposed the creation of a national digital monitoring system that would allow authorities and citizens to track the progress of public projects in real time.
“I will make sure that we have a dashboard that can enable us to track the implementation process of each and every project,” he added.
The former ICT chief also suggested introducing automated systems to ensure that public funds are properly accounted for.
“I will also make sure that we have an automated system that can fast-track the accountability of each and every penny spent on each project,” he said.
Owalo’s remarks come amid growing public concern about delayed government projects and the mismanagement of public funds, issues that have repeatedly featured in audit reports and parliamentary oversight discussions.