Transfer county offices now, Senate orders

A Senate Committee has directed the Intergovernmental Relations Technical Committee (IGRTC) to oversee the transfer of the construction of some five county headquarters from the Department of Public Works.

The move came after the county bosses protested the slow pace the State Department of Public Works for the stalled Sh2.56 billion projects.

Senate Finance and Budget committee chaired by Mandera lawmaker Ali Roba directed the National Treasury to release the funds and public works should hand over the construction of the five county headquarters to IGRTC.

Governors Dhadho Godhana (Tana River), Abdi Guyo (Isiolo), Kiarie Badilisha (Nyandarua), Issa Timamy (Lamu) and Muthomi Njuki (Tharaka Nithi) have been operating without county headquarters since the inception of the devolved governments.

“What we want is the commitment of the governors that they will complete the projects, the Treasury that they will release funds to the counties and public works that they will release the projects,” said Roba.

Support counties

Some of the projects started as early as 2015 following a deal with the national government to support the counties in constructing their head offices.

In the deal, the national government, through the National Treasury was required to shoulder 70 percent of the project cost with counties taking care of the remaining 30 percent.

At the time, the State Department of Public Works was the implementing agency to deliver the country headquarters.

The governors lamented that the projects have stalled for between five and nine years despite channelling millions towards their construction.

However, all the projects have stalled with governors squarely blaming the State Department of Public Works for the slow works and the Treasury for the erratic release of funds.

Appearing before the committee alongside National Treasury Cabinet Secretary Prof Njuguna Ndung’u, Public Works Principal Secretary Joel Arumonyang and IGRTC Chief Executive Officer Kipkirui Chepkwony, the parties committed to a smooth transfer of the multimillion projects to the devolved units.

Special purpose accounts

IGRTC will oversee the signing of agreements between the parties before the counties open special purpose accounts to enable the Treasury to release the funds.

 “Construction of our headquarters has stalled because of this animal called the State Department of Public Works. As Isiolo County government, we have availed all the funds that were required to. Up to now, we do not have a County Headquarters,” said Governor Guyo.

According to Guyo, his administration is spending millions of shillings on renting office spaces for the county staff because of the stalled works.

The construction of the Isiolo County headquarters commenced in March 2019 for a contract sum of Sh556.90million.

Of the amount, the county government was required to pay Sh167.07million or 30 percent whereas the national government was required to contribute the balance of Sh389.83 million.

“This is a five-storey building which requires lifts and reliable power supplies, and other equipment. I want to commit as the county government of Isiolo that once we take over the construction of the offices and the Treasury gives us the balance, we will take care of any inflation and complete the project,” said Guyo

In the payment schedule, Isiolo County released Sh85.66 million on June 5, 2019 and another similar amount on June 20, 2020 before clearing the balance of Sh9.07 million on April 12, 2023.

On the other hand, the National government has paid of Sh171.05 million of Sh389.83 million it is required to pay.

In his response to the committee, Prof Njunguna committed the Treasury will release Sh445 million for the projects in the current fiscal year and Sh425 million in the next financial year.

In his presentation to the Committee, Governor Njuki asked the Senate to engineer their divorce with the Ministry of Public Works which has delayed the works.

“If the Treasury had given us the funds directly as counties, we would have finished the projects. Why should we have a middleman in the name of Public Works? Divorce us from Public Works and let the Treasury give us money directly so that we can complete the works,” said Njuki.

The construction of the Sh366.82 million Tharaka Nithi headquarters commenced in July 2015 and has stalled since then to date.

The national government has so far paid Sh195.25 million with the county paying Sh103.91 million.

In Tana River, construction of the headquarters at the cost of Sh622.08million has stalled, Lamu (Sh195.21million) and Nyandarua (Sh372.32) projects have stalled since 2015 and 2017 respectively.