Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakan’go has fingered various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) over the slow progress in the completion of projects worth billions of shillings.

MDAs in question include Parliament, the State Department for Basic Education, the State Department for Higher Education, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), State Department for Roads and Transport.

In her National Government Budget Implementation Review Report for the third quarter of Financial Year 2024/25, covering July 1, 2024, to March 31 2025, Nyakang’o regretted that some of the projects had a completion rate ranging between 10 to 80 per cent and had taken more than five years to be completed.

According to her, the MDAs should move with speed to ensure that the projects are completed.

Reads the report: “Reviews of MDAs’ projects’ performance indicated general delays in project implementation, which affected the projects’ completion rates.”

It adds: “MDAs should prioritise the implementation of ongoing projects by freezing the commencement of new projects and taking necessary measures to address project challenges, with a view to fast-tracking the completion of all the affected multi-year projects.”

Timeline overruns

For instance, the report raises concerns that all the projects being implemented by the Parliamentary Joint Services (PJS) were facing timeline overruns.

The projects include the Construction of the Multi-Storey Office Block (Bunge Tower) which has so far consumed Ksh7.6 Billion out of the total estimated cost of Ksh9.2 billion and is 98 per cent complete, the Installation of the Integrated Security System which has consumed Ksh1.7 billion out of Ksh2.5 billion and is 68 per cent complete.

The Purchase and Development of Center for Parliamentary Studies and Training (CPST) Land that has so far consumed Ksh712.81 million out of the estimated cost of Ksh4.2 billion is at 17 per cent in terms of completion, the Refurbishment of Various Buildings has so far exceeded its estimated cost by Ksh12,76 million from Ksh260.77million to Ksh273.53 million yet it is at 87 per cent complete while the Purchase of Buildings by Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) that had been estimated to consume Ksh300 million has gobbled up Ksh7.08 billion.

JSS classrooms

In the education sector, the report has flagged the construction of junior secondary classrooms and integrated resource centres across the country at a cost of Ksh30 billion and has so far consumed Ksh6.4 billion.

The projects by the State Department for Basic Education, which are at 21 per cent complete, commenced in July 2021 and have a target completion date of June 30, 2026.

The report cited the Secondary Infrastructure in North Nyamira/ Borabu, whose estimated cost is Ksh2.18 billion.

The project is at 19 per cent, yet it began in July 2015 and has a target completion date of December 1, 2026.

The construction of the Mitihani house which began in 1985 and has so far consumed Ksh2.8 billion out of the total cost of Ksh4.67 billion, is 60 per cent complete, while the Kenya Primary Equity in Learning program which has consumed Ksh25 billion out of the total cost of Ksh45.3 billion is 55 per cent complete rate.

The Secondary Infrastructure Improvement II and the Smart Access Programme for Primary Schools in ASALs Counties which were to start in 2024 and had an estimated cost of Ksh337.5 million and Ksh450 million are yet to commence while the construction of Primary Infrastructure Improvement II commenced in 2010 and has so far consumed Sh3 billion out of the total estimated cost of Ksh2.2 billion is 25 per cent complete.

The Construction of Primary Teachers Training Colleges that began in 2011 and has so far consumed Ksh1.12billion out of Ksh2.5 billion is at 45 per cent, the Assembly of Assistive Devices for Kenya Institute of Special Education (KISE) project that commenced in 2024 and has gobbled up Ksh350 million out of Ksh1 billion estimated for the project is 35 per cent complete while the Establishment of Moiben Science Diploma Teachers Training College which commenced in 2014 and has so far consumed Ksh297 million out of Ksh894 million is 33 per cent complete.