County department under fire: MCAs reject Sh22million poor quality sports kits for youth

Nakuru Governor Lee Kinyanjui (center) presenting a T-Shirt to Eddy Kiragu (right), the Flamingo ward rep at Afraha Stadium in September 2018. Mr. Kiragu chairs the assembly committee on Youth, Sports and Gender that rejected the sports kits and equipment worth Sh22 million saying they were of poor quality[Courtesy]

A row has erupted between the executive and the assembly over the purchase of sports kits and equipment worth Sh22 million.

A probe report tabled before the assembly on Wednesday by Eddy Kiragu, the chairman for the Committee on Youth Affairs, Sports and Gender, showed that the county did not get value for money.

Mr Kiragu, representing Flamingo Ward, said the items bought for distribution to all the 55 wards were of poor quality and overpriced. A budget of Sh30 million for the provision of sports kits and equipment for the 55 wards was approved this financial year.

According to documents seen by The Standard, Sh24.8 million was on January 9 released vide two Authority to Incur Expenditure (AIE) No CN01909 for Sh9.8 million and AIE No 01769 for Sh15 million. But the total amount used to procure the kits and equipment was Sh22.3 million.

The document stated that the balance of Sh2.5 million is still available for use before the end of the financial year.

Last month, Governor Lee Kinyanjui, in an event held at Afraha Stadium, distributed T-shirts, shorts, socks, boots, balls, nets and other equipment to MCAs to pass them to youth sports groups in their respective wards.

But immediately after the event, some MCAs refused to receive the items, protesting about the quality of the items.

George Kiere, the Kihingo MCA, was among those who declined to collect the kits, saying he did not want to be party to a scam.

“Those kits are not worth the money allocated for their purchase. I cannot distribute them to the youth because they are of poor quality,” Mr Kiere said.

Leader of Majority Stanley Karanja had requested for a statement from the committee on Youth Affairs and Sport on how much the items cost and who supplied them.

On Wednesday, when tabling the report of the committee, Kiragu said 26 companies were awarded the tender to supply the items.

However, he noted that most of the companies awarded the tender specialised in roads and other constructions work, supplying ICT services and interior design and had never dealt with sports items.