Cash for nothing: Senate probes stalled Uasin Gishu county projects

The Senate Public Accounts Committee has demanded an urgent investigation by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) into how contractors were fully paid for several stalled multibillion-shilling projects in Uasin Gishu County.

The committee cited corruption and poor oversight as the main reasons for the misuse of public funds on projects that remain incomplete despite full payments.

Among the stalled projects are the Sh700 million Kipchoge 64 Stadium, the Sh600 million 400-bed Ziwa Level Four Hospital, and a special needs assessment centre estimated to cost over Sh2.4 billion.

Some of these projects began during the tenure of the former governor, Jackson Mandago, who is now the county senator.

During an inspection of the Ziwa Level Four Hospital, senators discovered that phases one and two of the project were not completed even after the contractor was paid in full.

It also emerged that the county tendered for phase three before completing the earlier stages.

"During our tour of mega projects in Uasin Gishu County, we were surprised to note that all of them have been abandoned. Sadly, contractors who were awarded tenders left the sites over two years ago after they were paid their money without completing their assignments," said Moses Kajwang’, chairman of the Public Accounts Committee and senator for Homa Bay.

Kajwang’ urged the EACC to fast-track investigations and take legal action against those responsible for the misappropriation of funds.

Speaking in Eldoret, he called on the commission to scrutinize the spending on these stalled projects.

At a meeting in the Uasin Gishu County Assembly, the senators challenged Governor Jonathan Bii over the abandoned projects despite allocated funds.

The committee also raised concerns over what it called misplaced priorities, criticizing the county government for spending billions on projects that offer little value to residents.

Senators Johnes Mwaruma (Taita-Taveta), Enock Wambua (Kitui), Samson Cherargei (Nandi), and Steve Lelegwe (Samburu) joined Kajwang’ in expressing frustration over the stalled projects.

"If residents of this county are to get value for their taxes, then EACC must conduct in-depth investigations into suspected elements of corruption in the stalled projects," Kajwang’ said.

Governor Bii defended his administration, saying he inherited the unfinished projects from his predecessor.

"I cannot lie to you that I will complete all the mega projects that I inherited from the previous administration due to financial constraints," he said.

Bii added that his government is seeking development partners to help finance the stalled health projects.

Mwaruma questioned how the county government continues to initiate new multibillion projects while existing ones remain incomplete.

"We are surprised to see several flagship projects that are stalled in various parts of the county and we wonder how the executive prioritises its development programmes," he said.

Cherargei criticized the county for spending taxpayers’ money on grand projects that do not benefit the residents. He also questioned the focus on beautifying the county headquarters over other pressing needs.

Governor Bii maintained that his government is doing its best despite financial setbacks and aims to deliver viable projects to residents.