The National Assembly Public Investment Committee (PIC) on Governance and Education has put the University of Eldoret on the spot over the incomplete multi-million shilling amphitheater at the school.

Led by PIC Chairperson and Bumula MP Wanami Wamboka, the Audit Committee on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, undertook an inspection tour of the University’s stalled Amphitheatre project valued at Ksh373 million, whose construction commenced on June 10, 2019, and was expected to be completed on December 14, 2020.

However, the legislators’ visit to the facility revealed not only a stagnation in its construction, but a series of poor financial decisions that they say have subjected the University to unreasonable losses after the main contractor terminated their services to the University.

Chaotic process

“This project was completely mismanaged by allowing a contract termination and then onboarding subcontractors; this has cost a lot of money, and the whole process is chaotic,” Embakasi West MP Mark Mwenje said.

According to the University’s Vice Chancellor, Thomas Kimeli Cheruiyot, the main contract collapsed due to funding issues; therefore, they engaged sub-contractors to continue some of the works.

PIC, however, says the move was illegal and in contravention of procurement laws.

Abandoned site

“You’re confirming that you paid sub-contractors, despite having a running contract with the first who abandoned the site, making it illegal,” Wamboka said, “Since they all exist on the basis of the main contractor, making direct payments to them is an illegality.”

The Committee has now resolved to make a recommendation to the National Assembly to sanction the involvement of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in investigating what they term financial mismanagement of the Amphitheatre Project by the project manager, domiciled at the Ministry of Public Works.

“The project manager from the Ministry of Public Works has heavily mismanaged the project and continually misadvised the institution, thereby exposing it to losses,” Francis Sigei said.

The Committee, through the chairperson, has pronounced itself on the matter, advising that the project manager should be investigated by the EACC and DCI, and that he should be barred from holding any public office or working for any government institution until the matter is resolved.

“There was a breach of the Public Procurement Act Section 9 as well as Article 201 (d) of the Constitution,” Wamboka observed.

“Money has been spent and lost; we will be making a proposal to the House for EACC and DCI to quickly investigate the institution and the prudence of the use of public funds.”