Junet: Public participation stalling projects

Suna East MP Junet Mohamed has proposed the scrapping of public participation as a pre-condition prior to implementation of development projects.

The legislator said the constitutional requirement impending progress of multi-billion megaprojects, which would otherwise be of great benefit to Kenyans.

"The government is elected, so it works for citizens, but the government is being sanctioned because it has to ask for permission from Kenyans, civil society, Judiciary, Parliament and religious organisations. When will the government work?" he posed.

Junet was speaking on Monday in Wundanyi, Taita Taveta county where he had accompanied President William Ruto on a development tour.

Also present were a host of political leaders and state officials, including Cabinet secretaries Hassan Joho (Mining and Blue Economy); Opiyo Wandayi (Energy and Petroleum); Senate Speaker Amason Kingi, and a number of MPs from the Coast region.

Junet said the recent cancellation of deals with India's Adani Group is a perfect example of how the requirement for a nod from the public and other constitutional entities was stiffling development in the country.

"This thing of asking for permission from everyone must end," the Minority Leader in the National Assembly said.

"Our airport is in a poor state; investors came from outside to help us refurbish the airport, (but) the President said if citizens don't want it, we have to drop it."

During his State of the Nation Address on November 21, President William Ruto ordered the cancellation of all finalised and pending deals with Adani Group based on "new information provided by our investigative agencies and partner nations.".

He dropped the bombshell a day after Indian billionaire owner Gautam Adani was indicted in the US for bribery and fraud, allegations the tycoon termed as "baseless".

Kenya had already signed a Sh96 billion deal for Adani Group to manage Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (Ketraco) transmission lines for 30 years and was on the verge of inking another deal for the company to upgrade the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and manage it for 30 years as well.

Both deals were very unpopular with Kenyans, with the proposed airport takeover sparking a workers' strike as pressure mounted for the government to drop it over concerns of corruption.

"In the face of undisputed evidence or credible information on corruption, I will not hesitate to take decisive action," Ruto said in a speech that earned him a standing ovation from MPs.

But in his opinion, Junet said the public pressure was unwarranted as the same company is upgrading the airport in the neighbouring.

"Those who were making noise, give us alternatives now because the airport must be upgraded. In neighbouring Tanzania, they are working with that same investor in their airport; is this to say Tanzanians are mad?"Junet posed.