A Bungoma MCA has threatened to rally his colleagues to reject a Sh175 million allocation for the establishment of an industrial park in Webuye.
The county government has allocated Sh55 million for legal framework, feasibility study, policy formulation and public participation for the construction of the multi-million Webuye Industrial Park.
Another Sh120 million is t be used to fix roads, water and electricity and the fencing of the 103-acre land on which the park will be built.
The allocation is contained in the budget estimates for the 2019-2020 that is before the county assembly.
But Maraka MCA Ali Machani Mutoka on Sunday said the project is not viable.
He said MCAs will not allow the project to proceed because the proposals made in the budget have not been discussed in the assembly.
“It is shocking to see Sh150 million allocated for the project in the 2019-20 budget estimates for phase one yet we have never debated on the issue in the assembly. This raises eyebrows about the viability of the project,” Mutoka said.
He promised to lead his colleagues in blocking the implementation of the project if the over 10,000 residents likely to be displaced and not relocated and given their payouts.
“Where does the county government expect the residents to go to when it has not allocated an alternative piece of land for them.”
The park will be built in Maraka, Machani's electoral ward.
The ODM party MCA faulted Governor Wycliffe Wangamati's administration, saying it had failed to involve local leaders and stakeholders in the implementation of the project.
“The county needs to convene a meeting so that everyone is told what the project entails. The process should be open and residents whose houses will be demolished be compensated because we have quite a number of people who are likely to be relocated,” Mutoka said.
He asked the county government to reveal the identity of the investor behind the implementation of the project.
Wangamati previously said the industrial park will address unemployment among the youth. “Youth unemployment in Bungoma, as is the case with the national government, is a ticking time bomb. The park will employ up to 50,000 youths,” Wangamati said.
He said the county will conduct a head count to determine the number of families who will be affected.
“We shall also have a sensitisation meeting with the families to be relocated before engaging residents of Webuye town,” the governor said
Wangamati asked residents and MCAs to support the project that was scheduled to start in February.
Last year, the county signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute to design the park. It will have a milk processing plant and a maize milling firm among other amenities.
Webuye was chosen for the project due to its strategic location.
Edited by peter obuya
