MPs divided on President Kenyatta order freezing new projects

Construction workers on Kwa Jomvu road -Makupa Causeway in Mombasa, on August 20, 2018. PHOTO | LABAN WALLOGA | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Matuga MP Kassim said his Matuga Constituency has no ongoing government project.
  • Ganze MP Teddy Mwambire said the President should specify the projects affected so that MPs can play their oversight role effectively.
  • Chuka/Igambang'ombe MP Patrick Munene said the directive has been overtaken by events since Parliament had already approved a budget.
  • Muhoroni MP Onyango K’Oyoo said the directive should apply only to projects that are riddled with corruption.
  • Khwisero MP Christopher Aseka said the ban affects government ministries only

Members of Parliament across the country have differed on President Uhuru Kenyatta’s order stopping new projects until stalled and ongoing ones are completed.

While some said the order meant their constituencies would miss out on benefiting from State funding and job creation, others saw it as a shot in the arm for reviving projects that have stalled for years, either due to lack of funds of or corruption.

“The directive will revive projects that had been forgotten for years, such as the Baricho-Langobaya Bridge, whose construction stalled during the era of President Daniel arap Moi,” Magarini MP Michael Kingi said. But he added that an exception should be made for areas with no ongoing government projects so that the residents are not disenfranchised.

CURB CORRUPTION

Similar views were expressed by Wundanyi MP Danson Mwashako, a member of the National Assembly Finance and Budget Committee, who said the order would curb wastage of public funds and corruption.

When the committee toured the country this year, it found that some projects had stalled for almost 30 years.

Matuga MP Kassim said his Matuga Constituency has no ongoing government project.

“What about those of us who do not have any government projects in our areas? They should get us one,” he said, adding that the construction of the Teribe-Marere Road, which was to be launched, has been affected by the directive.

Meanwhile, Ganze MP Teddy Mwambire said the President should specify the projects affected so that MPs can play their oversight role effectively.

STOPPING WASTAGE

In a directive to all government accounting officers on July 20, the President warned that they would be held responsible if they sanction new projects without the express authority of the national Treasury.

He said the move is aimed at stopping wastage of resources and the tendency among government agencies of abandoning projects halfway and starting others.

Chuka/Igambang'ombe MP Patrick Munene said the directive has been overtaken by events since Parliament had already approved a budget that allocated funds for new projects and programmes.

 He said Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich should submit a supplementary budget to revoke the expenditure.

 “It is double talk but if he happens to implement that directive, it will largely affect the new MPs, who form a third of the National Assembly, because they will leave no legacy in their constituencies,’ he said.

BIG FOUR AGENDA

In his directive, Mr Kenyatta said that projects directly aligned to the “Big Four” agenda might be exempted from the freeze.

But there is a feeling that some MPs are against the directive because it denies them an opportunity to influence tenders after the president directed that all contracts be made public. They are also thinking of their political careers, given that some of the projects they were lobbying for might be affected.

Muhoroni MP Onyango K’Oyoo said the directive should apply only to projects that are riddled with corruption.

“The directive should not be a blanket one; projects that are relevant, viable and have budgetary support, should be allowed to continue,” he said, adding that this would stop further marginalisation of areas like the Nyando sugar belt.

PAYING TAXES

“Farmers have been paying taxes but roads have not been done for years. This is what should be prioritised,” Mr K'Oyoo said.

 But Navakholo MP Emmanuel Wangwe and his Vihiga counterpart Ernest Kivai Ogesi said the directive would address white elephants. They gave the example of the tarmacking of the 31-kilometre Lurambi-Navakholo-Musikoma Road, which has been disrupted due to lack of funds.

“I’m now confident that the government will ensure the project is completed as planned to benefit the region’s residents ” said Mr Wangwe.

Deputy President William Ruto was in Navakholo Constituency to launch the construction of a medical training college when President Kenyatta issued the directive.

“This is not a new project since the funding will come from the Constituency Development Fund and the national governmen. We have already allocated Sh40 million from the CDF and the work is in progress,” said Mr Wangwe.

URGENT PROJECTS

Mr Ogesi said emergencies such as the construction of classrooms and health facilities should be given priority to ensure that services were not disrupted.

Khwisero MP Christopher Aseka said the ban affects government ministries only. “There are many projects needed at the grass roots, so we cannot focus just on the existing ones," said Mr Aseka.

A number of South Rift MPs have pleaded with the President to review the directive, saying consideration should be given to new and most urgent projects.

Njoro MP Charity Kathambi Chepkwony said such projects include areas having challenges with water and roads.