An audit has revealed that development projects worth Sh495.6 million funded through the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) in 29 constituencies have stalled or been abandoned, depriving communities of the benefits they were meant to receive.

The findings come in a year when allocations to the fund rose sharply by 68.1 percent, from Sh44.5 billion to Sh74.8 billion.

The NG-CDF, designed to channel resources directly to constituencies, supports grassroots initiatives such as school construction, security infrastructure, and bursaries for students from needy families.

“Stalled projects are an indication that the public has been denied benefits that would have accrued from the completed projects and that value for money invested in the projects has not been realised,” Auditor General Nancy Gathungu said in the latest report for the year ended June 2024.

The audit further shows that delays have affected the completion of projects worth Sh6.9 billion in 157 constituencies, highlighting weaknesses in managing public resources.

In addition, Sh101.1 million worth of completed projects in 18 constituencies remained unused, a situation the Auditor General says reflects waste of public funds and lack of value for money.

A physical inspection and records review by Gathungu’s office revealed that projects valued at Sh696.99 million in 65 constituencies suffered from poor workmanship and structural defects, pointing to contract mismanagement and procurement breaches.

Other issues included payments for incomplete or non-existent works, failure to brand projects, raising the risk of duplication in accounting, and lack of proper handover documentation, with many projects lacking completion and handover certificates.

The report also flagged unspent funds amounting to Sh26.7 billion across all 290 constituencies as of June 30, 2024.

Gathungu noted that this has been a recurring problem, previously attributed to delays in disbursement of funds from the NG-CDF Board.