The government will commence a nationwide inspection of development projects in response to reports that President William Ruto’s administration may have relauched ghost projects using billions of taxpayer funds.
In a statement on Monday, Andrew Teyie, Communications Director for the National Government Coordination Secretariat (NGCS), announced that the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary and the Interior Ministry will conduct the inspection from September 10, 2024, to September 14, 2024.
The inspection teams will start in the Eastern and Coast regions before moving on to the North Eastern, Nairobi, Central, Rift Valley, Nyanza, and Western regions.
The teams will document issues and identify challenges to improve service delivery coordination.
The government has outlined 13 programmes for inspection, including:
1. Completion of Kenya Leather Industrial Park (Kenanie Leather Industrial Park) in Machakos County.
2. Expansion of Cotton Production: Increasing acreage from 26,000 to 200,000 acres and distributing BT Cotton Seeds in:
– Tharaka Nithi
– Kitui
– Meru
– Mtwapa
3. Establishment of County Aggregation and Industrial Parks: Projects in all 47 counties, such as the CAIPs in Lunga Lunga, Kwale County.
4. Completion and Operationalization of SEZs: Special Economic Zones in Eastern (Athi River) and Coast (Dongo Kundu SEZ).
5. Construction of 200,000 Affordable Housing Units Annually:
– Moke Gardens, Athi River: 4,118 units in Machakos
– Civil Servants’ Houses: 220 units in Embu
6. Construction of 6,000 Km of Roads: Including 3,500 Km under conventional methods and 2,500 Km of low-volume seal roads:
– Chiakariga-Marimanti-Gatunga Road (36 Km) in Tharaka Nithi
– Nkubu-Rubiri-Kamurita (12 Km) in Meru
– Kwale and Ukunda Township Roads – KURA
– Mwache-Mteza in Mombasa – KeNHA Lot 2: Mtwapa-Kwa Kadzengo in Kilifi
– Bamba-Ganze-Kilifi (56 Km) – KeRRA
7. Expansion of Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET):
– Eastern: Chuka TTI in Tharaka Nithi, Mukiria TTI in Meru, Kaelo TTI in Meru
– Coast: Kenya Coast National Polytechnic in Mombasa, Ahmed Mwindani TTI in Mombasa, Msambweni TTI in Kwale, Weru TTI in Malindi, Kilifi
8. Completion of Bachuma Livestock Export Zone (LEZ) and Construction and Operationalization of Lamu LEZ: Coast (Bachuma LEZ – Taita Taveta).
9. Development and Operationalization of Ports, including Mombasa Port.
The government will also inspect the following projects:
10. National Liquefied Petroleum Gas Enhancement Project: Including the Kenya Coast National Polytechnic in Mombasa.
11. Construction and Improvement of National Government Administration Infrastructure:
– Refurbishment of Machakos County Commissioner’s offices in Machakos.
– Refurbishment of Isiolo County Commissioner’s offices.
– Refurbishment of Kwale County Commissioner’s offices.
12. Ultra-Modern Tuna Fish Hub at Liwatoni in Mombasa.
13. Galana-Kulalu Food Security Project in Kilifi.
However, this initiative has faced criticism from the public. Many question the timing of the government’s action, especially following a series of exposés by lawyer-turned-activist Morara Kebaso. Kebaso has been touring the country, documenting numerous incomplete or abandoned projects and accusing the government of misusing public funds.
Critics are also questioning why additional taxpayer money is being used for inspecting projects that have already been launched and what the outcomes of this inspection will be.
