Nakuru MCAs train guns on governor over delayed mega projects

Nakuru Governor Lee Kinyanjui. [Photo, Standard]

Members of Nakuru County Assembly have expressed concerns over the alleged slow implementation of projects in the 2018/2019 budget.

This came up during a special sitting on Thursday to approve the supplementary budget which seeks an additional Sh124 million to meet development and recurrent obligations.

The said key among the challenges affecting projects include wee poor management capacity of officials mandated to prepare Bills of Quantity, delay in procurement and disbursement of funds and weak inter-department coordination.

The leaders have summoned Governor Lee Kinyanjui and his executive to explain the delay and chart the way forward.

“We find it difficult to attend meetings in our wards because for the past one and half years we have been in office, there is nothing to show,” said Majority Leader Moses Ndung’u.

Speaker Joel Kairo said ward reps want the governor to explain why projects have not taken off one year later.

“Members have requested for this meeting to try and understand why ward projects have not be rolled out despite budgetary allocation,” Mr Kairo told a special sitting on a Thursday afternoon.

In the 2018/2019 budget, the executive set a side Sh4 billion for development projects in the 55 wards.

In November last year, the assembly summoned Finance executive Joseph Kiuna and his two chief officers to explain the slow pace of implementation of the projects.  Mr Kiuna, Treasury Chief Officer Joseph Muchinah and his Economic Planning counterpart Kennedy Momanyi said all departments had been given funds, and that there should be another reason for delays rather than lack of Authority to Incur Expenditure (AIEs).

The executive said the work of the treasury is to facilitate the department to implement projects through issuing AIEs while implementation is to be carried out by respective departments.