Kingi warned against razing projects

Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi has been warned against making real his threat to pull down infrastructure financed with constituency development funds.

On Tuesday, the governor said such projects were shoddily done and over-priced.

On Thursday, Kilifi County Commissioner Joseph Keter said action would be taken on anybody executing the governor’s threat.

And, from Bonn, Germany, Kilifi North MP Gideon Mung’aro on Thursday dismissed as political witch-hunt and lies claims by Mr Kingi that some CDF projects in his constituency were sub-standard or over-priced.

He said Mr Kingi was plainly jealous of his successful association with the Jubilee coalition.

Mr Keter said a proper audit of all projects by both the national and county governments was the only way to determine their stability.

“I must thank the governor for raising the red flag about these projects. However, if it is carrying out an audit, it will cut across on both the national and county-funded projects,” Mr Keter told the Daily Nation in an interview in his office.

“An audit should also be done on the National Government Affirmative Funds (NGAF), a kitty disbursed through the Woman Representative to assist women in every county,” he added.

Among the projects Mr Kingi has earmarked for demolition is the Mkangagani Market in Matsangoni, a dilapidated building currently in use at Gede Polytechnic and a perimeter wall at Dabaso Primary School.

The government allocates Sh33 million every financial year towards the kitty in Kilifi County.

The commissioner said many people would be held responsible in case a project is declared substandard, adding that all funds channelled from the Treasury must be well accounted for.

“If an audit report reveals a shoddy project, the first person answerable will be the officer who signed the completion certificate. The contractor and all the members of the project management committee will also be answerable because tax payer’s money was used,” said Mr Keter.

“In any place where public money is utilised, an audit must be done. This is what will happen in Kilifi, touching on every project,” he said.

The Sh33 million women kitty has also led to a public outcry in Kilifi, with claims that Woman Representative Aisha Jumwa was using it to campaign for the Malindi parliamentary seat next year.

First to raise the red flag was Mr Mung’aro who claimed that the MP had politicised the fund.

Ms Jumwa has since refuted the claims, adding that she has a clean record of how the Sh33 million has benefited women groups. She asked Mr Mung’aro to visit her office and see for himself.

“The money is redirected to all seven constituencies in Kilifi. After deducting operational costs, what remains is about Sh4 million for every constituency,” she said.