A sample stall project/FILE
Some senators have criticised governors for neglecting or abandoning development projects initiated by their predecessors, warning that the practice is wasteful and undermines public service delivery.
The lawmakers raised concern that billions of shillings in public funds are at risk of being lost due to the politically motivated discontinuation of projects that had already consumed significant resources.
The criticism came after Marsabit Senator Mohamed Chute lamented the stalled construction of Sololo Level 4 Hospital, which was launched during the tenure of pioneer governor Ukur Yatani seven years ago.
“Despite construction efforts spanning over seven years, the hospital remains incomplete, raising serious concerns about access to essential healthcare services in the region,” Chute said.
He blamed the current county leadership for lacking the political goodwill to complete the project, citing continued delays and a lack of communication on its progress.
Senators noted that the problem of governors abandoning projects started by their predecessors is widespread and contributes to massive wastage of resources.
Khalwale called for a national solution to address the problem, saying it was denying Kenyans critical services.
“It is sad that Kenyans have to travel from places like Isiolo to Ethiopia to seek medical treatment because of this kind of negligence,” he added.
He noted that reports by the Controller of Budget and Auditor General have repeatedly flagged the issue of abandoned and stalled projects across counties.
Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei echoed similar concerns, terming the problem “endemic.”
“Billions of shillings are tied up in stalled projects. Governors are either abandoning initiatives started by their predecessors or launching new ones without proper budgets or feasibility studies,” he said.
A recent report by the Senate Public Accounts Committee revealed that county development projects worth Sh7.59 billion have stalled across the country.
The report attributed the stalling to poor planning, lack of exchequer releases, and failure to prioritise projects—factors that resulted in minimal value for money and wastage of scarce resources.
“The committee noted that during the FY 2023/24, projects worth Sh7.6 billion are either stalled, incomplete or behind schedule against their expected completion deadlines,” the report states.
However, the committee observed that the true value of stalled projects could not be fully determined, as some audit reports only gave partial valuations or noted pending payments.
“Stalled and incomplete projects tie up public funds and deny citizens essential services. They also increase project costs, as contractors may seek cost variations due to delays,” the report warned.
The committee further noted that the trend is likely to worsen over time, especially during transitions between county administrations.
INSTANT ANALYSIS
County governments need to prioritise the projects that have started and are incomplete and ensure they are in their respective County Integrated Development Plans and consequently in the subsequent annual development plans to avert cases of widespread uncompleted projects.
The transition from one county administration should be well managed so that it does not impede the completion of already started projects.
They need to take stock of such projects and carry out project appraisal with the objective of ensuring that estimates of such projects are included in the County Integrated Development Plans with total costs, estimated completion time and operationalised.
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