• Kenyans on social media questioned the rationale of spending money on such a signboard.
• But MCA Wamumbi laughed off the criticism, saying the project is an ablution block worth Sh500,000 and the signboard did not cost more than the project
Image: EUTYCAS MUCHIRI
Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga has once again come under sharp criticism for erecting a billboard with his portrait at a pit latrine’s construction site.
The signboard bears the name and portrait of the governor and that of Konyu MCA Eric Wamumbi.
The chief officer for the department of Education, Sports, Science and Technology are listed as the supervisor while the contractor is Patline Ventures Limited. The completion date for the project is June 24, 2020.
Kenyans on social media on Thursday questioned the rationale of spending money on such a signboard. Some said the signboard must have cost more than the project.
But Wamumbi laughed off the criticism, saying the project is an ablution block worth Sh500,000 and the signboard did not cost more than the project. He, however, did not say how much the signboard cost.
“There is no way a signboard can be expensive than an ablution block. But I do not know the cost of the signboard as we only allocated money for the project. The other details you can be given by the department in charge,” he said.
He also asked why people were complaining because every project in Nyeri has such a signboard. The MCA said the project is complete.
Wamumbi said he will find out whether the cost of the signboard was exaggerated.
Contacted for comment, Governor Kahiga did not answer calls or reply to a text message.
The pit latrine is being constructed at Kahara ECDE centre in Konyu, Mathira constituency.
Techno Githinji posted on his Facebook page that it was unnecessary to put such an expensive signboard because of a pit latrine.
“In Nyeri the cost of a project signboard is higher than the actual project...Does a pit latrine really need such a board?...Tuko macho..,” he wrote.
Joseph Waweru said the money used in preparing such signboards could be put into better use like putting up more ECDE classes.
Boniface Wachira posted,“What a waste of money? That billboard alone can …build 10 latrines,” he said.
James Washington suggested that there should be a law prohibiting such posters.
Eddah Gah Sherry wondered why a pit latrine digger should be given such prominence and wondered whether anyone can register a company to dig latrines.
In April, Kahiga also came under criticism after putting his portrait on bottles of sanitiser donated by Kibos Sugar Company.
People accused him of taking advantage of the Covid-19 pandemic to gain political mileage.
Kahiga then said the label bearing his picture had just cost one shilling each and warned residents against trivializing the issue.
“This is a county programme in collaboration with Kibos Sugar and so we have recognised their effort and our effort too. Currently there is no other governor in Nyeri other than Mutahi Kahiga,” he told the media.
He called on people to focus on the bigger picture and stop being drawn into triviality and talking about issues that do not matter.