House team probes Sh7bn Ronald Ngala University project
What you need to know:
The institution is meant to be a branch of the Utalii College.
PIC chairman Keynan pressed the chairman of the tender committee Mr Odhiambo to explain why they approved close to Sh1bn that was paid to Mr Otengo’s firm, Baseline Consultancy.
A tender committee that approved a project for Ronald Ngala University was on Tuesday put to task to explain why it varied the cost by over Sh7 billion from what the Cabinet had approved.
MPs were not also happy that a consultant who did the architectural designs for the college in Kilifi, Mr Dominic Otengo, charged over Sh800 million. The institution is meant to be a branch of the Utalii College.
Public Investments Committee members also wanted to know why Mr Otengo failed to reduce the fee after cost had been revised to Sh4.9 billion.
The committee heard that the tender committee at the Tourism Fund approved a project different from what the Cabinet had allowed and went ahead to revise the cost from Sh2 billion to Sh4.9 billion.
PIC chairman Adan Keynan pressed the chairman of the tender committee Mr Edwin Odhiambo to explain why they approved close to Sh1 billion that was paid to Mr Otengo’s firm, Baseline Consultancy.
Mr Odhiambo failed explain why Mr Otengo’s firm ended up with a huge chuck of the money. He said the National Treasury had already released Sh1.9 billion for the project.
The figure given by Mr Odhiambo was also different from those of another committee that awarded the tender. The committee was chaired by Mr Charles Okeyo, who said the project would cost Sh9 billion.
“There is an element of fraud when two committees from the same organization give conflicting figures,” Mr Keynan noted.
