- Governor Wisley Rotich is implementing 100 days of Rapid Results Initiatives (RRI) which is aimed at accelerating services to citizens.
- He says contractors who undermine his efforts will be dealt with.
Image: BY MATHEWS NDANYI
More than 200 contractors in Elgeyo Marakwet County risk being blacklisted and their contracts terminated because of delayed delivery or doing shoddy work.
Governor Wisley Rotich is implementing 100 days of Rapid Results Initiatives (RRI) which is aimed at accelerating services to citizens.
He says contractors who undermine his efforts will be dealt with.
“It’s no longer things as usual. We have to deliver to the public because we have been given various tasks and use public resources which we have to account for," Rotich said.
He addressed heads of various departments on his plans to roll out development programmes in the region.
Rotich wants all staff and service providers to roll up their sleeves and be ready for tough work to serve the residents of the county.
Governor Rotich said going forward, most contracts will strictly be valid for 90 days and that those who fail to honour their contractual terms will have them terminated.
“If you are given a contract and within 90 days you are doing nothing then we will terminate the same and have someone else or another company do the job," Rotich said.
Last year the governor formed a task force that went across the county to inspect the status of projects. The task force's final report revealed that there were many incomplete projects.
Some of the projects had been going on for more than six years far beyond the completion dates that had been signed in the contracts.
“We cannot and we will not pay for substandard work. We will not joke around with public money to benefit a few people yet the intended beneficiaries who are the public continue to suffer," Rotich said.
He said all public money should be utilized for the purpose intended. He said no contractor would be paid for incomplete and shoddy work but instead such contractors would be blacklisted.
Rotich however said he had been consulting with financial institutions within the county to offer financial support to local contractors so that they have adequate capacity to deliver on their work
He said delays in the implementation of projects, shoddy works, conflict of interest, and malpractices in project verification and payment among other issues had contributed to low absorption rates of public funds.
He said most projects in the county would take at most 90 days to be completed.
“At the end of the 90 days, all works should be complete and handing over done,” Rotich said.
Various departments have presented lists of projects to be completed during the 100 days period.
The projects include an extension of water distribution, equipping of early childhood education centres, improvement of roads, student uplift programmes and setting up medical camps for screening.
Rotich said his administration would start rewarding staff based on their performance.