• Waititu’s administration is on the spot over incomplete work at 14 sites.
Auditor General Edward Ouko has warned of the possible loss of over Sh330 million in stalled projects initiated by the Kiambu county government.
In his audit for the year ending June 2018, Ouko says residents did not get value for money spent on roads, markets, social halls, and hospital expansion projects.
Governor Ferdinand Waititu’s administration is on the spot over 14 of such projects where millions were already paid for the incomplete works.
The county paid Sh43.7 million for works at Kikuyu Level 4 hospital to a contractor who at the time of audit had abandoned the site.
“Further inquiry from the personnel revealed that the works had stalled for over eight months due to inadequate funds,” Ouko said.
A toilet block at Lusigeti subcounty hospital has also stalled yet the contractor had been paid Sh1,374,370 of the Sh2.9 million project.
Waititu’s administration has also been questioned over Sh81 million spent on the 2.5km Thogoto-Ndaire-Dagoreti road which was to be upgraded to bitumen standards.
“The contractor was not on site during the time of the audit. Drainage works, sub base and wearing course had been done for 1.1km.”
The works on A2 Junction-Kimbo – Matagani road has also stalled and the site abandoned after the county paid Sh108.7 million for only two out of the five kilometres.
Ouko also cited stalled works at Limuru hawkers market where the contractor was already paid Sh13.3 million yet the toilets were incomplete and drainage poorly done.
Waititu’s administration further paid Sh2.5 million to construct a cafeteria at a contract sum of Sh8.6 million but the project was abandoned at 29 per cent.
Kiambu locals may have also lost Sh15 million paid for incomplete work at Limuru market whose walls had started cracking.
“In addition, the toilets were in a poor condition,” the auditor said, further raising queries on Sh4.5 million paid to a contractor for works on Kiambu community hall.
The said contractor was not on the site at the time of audit and had been paid Sh4.5 million yet the project’s timeline had lapsed.
Two ECDE classrooms initiated by Kiambu county government have also stalled yet Sh4.8 million paid out to the contractor.
The same was for works on two sports grounds which gobbled Sh31.8 million for no work done.
“The contractor had abandoned the site, an indication that money already spent on the project may go to waste. No explanation was given for failure to complete the project,” the audit report states.
Ouko further flagged an imbalance in the share of jobs at the county amid revelations that 90 per cent of newly hired 706 workers were Kikuyus.
This is contrary to Article 232 of the Constitution which stipulates that 30 per cent of employees should be raised from minority communities.
Waititu’s administration was also found to be in breach the law with its bloated wage bill gobbling Sh5.8 billion annually.
On the same note, the county irregularly paid Sh638 million in basic wages for temporary employees and personnel allowance without supporting documents.
Also subject of the review was unconfirmed Sh4.3 million for tuition fees, Sh5.1 million outstanding imprest, an unexplained variance of Sh125 million pending bills, and an understated Sh753 million in respect to the county’s cash and bank balances.
“I believe that the audit evidence I have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for my conclusion,” Ouko said.