White elephants gobble up Sh72.5b of taxpayers cash

ODM Party Leader Raila Odinga (right), National Irrigation Board Chief Executive Gitonga Mugambi (centre) and Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi examine a maize crop during a tour of the Galana-Kulalu irrigation scheme in August. [Maarufu Mohamed, Standard]

Economic advisers to Parliament have returned a damning verdict on some 618 projects that are unsustainable including the Galana irrigation scheme which is on the “verge of collapse”.

At least 545 of them are already white elephants, according to a recent circular issued by the National Treasury, which resulted to a loss of Sh72.5 billion.