- Stalled headquarters works amounts to Sh2.56 billion.
- All the parties committed to a smooth transfer of the multimillion projects to the devolved units.
Five governors are set to take over the construction of their county headquarters.
The counties have been operating without headquarters and the governors accused the Public Works department of sluggishness in completing the stalled Sh2.56 billion projects.
The governors are Abdi Guyo (Isiolo), Muthomi Njuki (Tharaka Nithi), Kiarie Badilisha (Nyandarua), Issa Timamy (Lamu) and Godhana Dhadho (Tana River).
The Senate Finance and Budget Committee has directed the Intergovernmental Relations Technical Committee to oversee the transfer from the department of Public Works that was implementing the projects.
“What we want is the commitment of the governors that they will complete the projects, the Treasury that they will release funds to the counties and Public Works that they will release the projects,” committee chairman Ali Roba said.
The county chiefs had lamented that the projects had stalled for between five and nine years, despite millions of shillings being towards their construction.
The governors appeared before the committee alongside Treasury CS Njuguna Ndung’u, Public Works PS Joel Arumonyang and IGRTC CEO Kipkirui Chepkwony at Parliament Buildings on Friday.
All the parties committed to a smooth transfer of the projects to the devolved units.
IGRTC will oversee signing of agreements between the parties before the counties open special purpose accounts to enable the Treasury release the funds.
Some of the projects started in 2015, following a deal with the national government to support the counties construct their head offices.
In the deal, the national government, through the National Treasury was required to shoulder 70 per cent of the project cost, with counties taking care of the remaining 30 per cent.
Public Works was picked as the implementing agency to deliver the headquarters.
However, all the projects have stalled, with governors squarely blaming the state department of Public Works for the slow works and Treasury for erratic release of funds.
“Construction of our headquarter has stalled because of this animal called the state department of Public Works. As Isiolo county government, we have availed all the funds that were required to,” Governor Guyo said.
He said his administration is spending millions of shillings on renting office spaces for the county staff because of the stalled works.
The construction of Isiolo county headquarters commenced in March 2019 for a contract sum of Sh556.90 million.
Of the amount, the county government was required to pay Sh167.07 million or 30 per cent whereas the national government was required to contribute the balance of Sh389.83 million.
In the payment schedule seen by the Star, Isiolo released Sh85.66 million on June 5, 2019. The county paid a similar amount on June 20, 2020, before clearing the balance of Sh9.07 million on April 12, 2023.
On the other hand, the national government has paid of Sh171.05 million of Sh389.83 million it is required to pay.
“I want to commit as the county government of Isiolo that once we take over the construction of the offices and the Treasury gives us the balance, we will take care of any inflation and complete the project,” Guyo said.
CS Ndung'u said Treasury will release Sh445 million for the projects in the current fiscal year and Sh425 million in the next financial year.
Governor Njuki asked the Senate to engineer their divorce with the Ministry of Public Works that has delayed the works.
“If the Treasury had given us the funds directly as counties, we would have finished the projects,” the governor said.
“Why should we have a middleman in the name of Public Works? Divorce us from Public Works and let the Treasury give us money directly so we can complete the works,” the governor said.
The construction of the Sh366.82 million Tharaka Nithi headquarters commenced in July 2015.
The national government has paid Sh195.25 million, with the county paying Sh103.91 million.
In Tana River, construction of the headquarters at a cost of Sh622.08 million has stalled.
This is the case in Lamu, where construction of Sh195.21 million projects have stalled.
In Nyandarua, construction of the headquarters, which commenced in march 2017 at a cost of sh372.32 million, is stuck.