Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata yesterday said the Cancer Centre, which was established by his predecessor Mwangi wa Iria, was a white elephant project.

Kang’ata said there were no proper plans to have the centre set up at the Murang’a Level Five Hospital and become operational and thus public funds would have gone in to waste.

Governor has now proposed a recast of the project to be used to hold other facilities for the hospital.

“The centre had only its foundation done. It never went beyond this point two years after it was started and this would have simply become a white elephant project,” he said.

“I am proposing a change of plan, we have the building done and it can have other facilities in it so that we can expand the capacity of the hospital,” he said.

The County boss noted that a modern casualty, theatre, outpatient wing and wards shall be among the amenities to be incorporated in the new building.

“This being a county referral hospital, we would like to have a bigger and better casualty because the one we have here is not big enough to cater for patients who seek services here,” he added.

Yesterday, a team of officers from the Finance department visited the site for assessment as directed by the governor.

Finance Executive Officer David Waweru has also written to Auditor General Nancy Gathungu requesting for her to authorise a team to conduct an audit on all pending bills in the county.

The audit will focus on bills associated with general supplies and contractors, legal fees and debts owed.

Wa Iria launched the bid to establish the seven-storey building in May 2020, saying it would be completed in six months.