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  President Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration continues to incur huge expenses on projects that either stalled or remain incomplete long after their completion dates had elapsed, Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu has revealed.

What is even more glaring, according to Gathungu, is that some of these projects are attracting penalties due to delays in payment of completion certificates of milestones already achieved, while others have been revised to amounts higher than the original contract sum leading to cost escalations.

To add insult to injury, payments have been made to projects, which appear to have completely stalled.

Details are contained in the Auditor General’s report for the national government for the Financial Year 2019/20.

The audit states that some of the entities with stalled projects and corresponding amounts include State Department for Regional and Northern Corridor Development Sh3.5 billion advance payments for Kimwarer Multipurpose Dam Development Project and Sigor Wei Project.

In 2016, President Uhuru and his deputy William Ruto launched phase three of the Sigor Wei Wei irrigation project in West Pokot.

Project that was to be funded by the Italian Government in collaboration with Kerio Valley Development Authority was estimated to cost Sh1 billion.

Audit shows that since its launch and the subsequent payment of at least Sh3.5 billion to the Italian firm, no work has ever been undertaken.

Construction of the proposed headquarters for Nyandarua county in Ol Kalou town initiated by the State Department for Public Works has also stalled. 

Elsewhere, the construction of Sh102 million Turkana High Court is incomplete with total works certified at Sh140 million out of which, a total of Sh101 million had been paid.

In the Department of Drought Resilience and Sustainable Livelihoods Programme (ADF Loan No.2100150028345) Sh111 million project at Konoo Irrigation Scheme in Turkana has stalled.

According to the Auditor, the contract was recommended for termination. The measured works were established to be Sh59 million or about 27 per cent of the contract sum while the contractor had already been paid Sh55 million (about 25 per cent of the contract sum) as of 30 June 2020 against a timeline of 25 months.

Two notices

Construction of the Kaptyoni-Kiboi Footbridge Dam in Baringo has stalled. This is despite the contractor being issued with two notices of contract termination, due to slow progress of work, despite having been paid an advance of Sh32 million.

Construction of Songa Irrigation Scheme in Marsabit is also incomplete. The project status report reflected 40.3 per cent progress of works against a 250 per cent period as at the time the contract lapsed.

Audit indicates that the contractor had been paid a total of Sh24 million, which is 26 percent of the contract sum.

 In the State Department for Correctional Services, a total of Sh21.6 million projects have either stalled or been delayed.

It includes stalled construction works at Shimo La Tewa Medium Prison and Manyani Maximum Prison estimated to be a cost of Sh2 million each.