New governors set to clean up mess of stalled projects

A number of first-time governors have started audits of incomplete projects started by their predecessors to decide their fate.

Although they have dismissed claims that they will abandon all the projects, they warned they will not hesitate to shelve those they felt were not beneficial to the public and start new ones that would define their legacy.

In Bomet County, for instance, Governor Joyce Laboso, the region’s first woman governor, in an interview with the Nation, said there was no point of “disrupting what is good for the people”.

“We have our agenda and we have a manifesto which we presented to the people. But, any other good thing is welcome. We want to bring everyone on board because we know this is not the time for politics. The people want us to serve them,” she said.

At the Coast, Taita-Taveta Governor Granton Samboja said he will only abandon projects started by his predecessor John Mruttu only if there were compelling reasons for him to do so.

The governor said all the projects being implemented in the county were meant to benefit citizens.

PROJECTS

“The process of coming up with the projects was one that involved the people in the constitutional spirit of public participation through the County Integrated Development Plan formation process and also through the budget-making process every financial year,” he said.

Mr Samboja, however, said his administration had formed a task force to review projects undertaken by the previous government for the purpose of establishing their status.

He said a public outcry on a number of incomplete projects and pending bills, that had come about as a result of some payments not being made to the contractors, informed his decision to form a task force to review the issues.

Tharaka-Nithi Governor Muthomi Njuki also shares similar thoughts.

Just a few weeks ago, the county boss commissioned a water project at Kathwana – the country’s headquarters – that had been started by his predecessor Samuel Ragwa.

NOBLE IDEA

“This project was a noble idea and I could not let it die,” said Mr Njuki. In Isiolo, Governor Mohamed Kuti also said he will complete an abattoir which has not been put into use due to poor workmanship.

The abattoir had been constructed with funds from the national government and handed over to the county in 2014.

The new administration, he said, was seeking an investor to fast-track its completion to allow pastoralists to reap its benefits.

However, Dr Kuti said his government will do away with plans by the former administration to have two of its game reserves managed by a private firm.

Initially, the former governor had planned to seek the services of a private firm to manage Buffalo Springs and Shaba game reserves, but Dr Kuti insisted that his administration will constitute a board with qualified members who will manage the sanctuaries.

MORE FUNDS

In Laikipia, Governor Ndiritu Muriithi said he was still inspecting all the projects initiated by his predecessor, some of which had stalled  after being allocated millions of shillings.

Recently, he toured Laikipia North constituency, where he inspected two projects – a borehole worth Sh22 million and a maternity wing that was allocated Sh18 million by former Governor Joshua Irungu’s administration.

“We have revived and hope to complete them by end of this year,” he said.

Nyeri’s Mutahi Kahiga has injected more funds into projects started by the previous regime.

Infrastructure Executive Muthui Kariuki said the county government will not abandon projects started “for the good of the people”.

“It is only logical to complete projects because they were meant to help residents not the government.  As long as that project make life easy for Wanjiku, then we will complete it,” he said.

In Vihiga, Governor Wilber Ottichilo said apart from completing all the stalled projects started by his predecessor, he will clear more than Sh1.2 billion pending bills also inherited from former Governor Moses Akaranga’s administration. However, he said this will take several months to implement.

STALLED PROJECTS

“We will only pay for clearly documented services offered,” said the former Emuhaya MP.

He added: “Some of the pending bills and stalled projects have been included in the Sh5.6 billion supplementary budget currently before the assembly, which is expected to approve them.”

The governor said the county launched an audit of all the stalled projects with the findings being used in the preparation of the 2017/18 supplementary budget.

This, the he said, will ensure the projects are completed and operationalised within 90 days.

“The new county government found out that there was neither a clearly established governance system in the county nor ongoing development projects,” he said.

 Reported by Geoffrey Rono, Brian Ocharo, Derrick Luvega, Alex Njeru, Vivian Jebet, Mwangi Ndirangu and Grace Gitau