How poor planning of State projects costs taxpayers billions

A section of the Thiba mega dam whose construction works are at 20 per cent, according to the Project Manager Stephen Mutinda. Delays have seen major projects cost nearly 40 per cent more. [Munene Kamau, Standard]

Anyone who has attempted to put up a building is familiar with the ‘black hole’ that gobbles up huge cash past the initial estimates or even foreseeable contingency.

Even for the most frugal, armed with the bill of quantities, accounting for every nail and supervising the construction, there is always a feeling that the contractor has given you a raw deal, having colluded with the hardware store or carted away a bag of cement.