Many projects in Narok county have been found to be stalled and abandoned despite the devolved unit spending billions on development.
Oversight tours led by area Senator Ledama Olekina raised questions about its otherwise remarkable development record.
“Narok county has used more development money with nothing to show for it. We want to ensure all the projects are completed," Olekina said while visiting the projects.
“I will make sure the governor is accountable by explaining why most of the projects are either incomplete or the contractors have left site.”
Attempts to get a comment from the county government were futile.
Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang'o had ranked the county as the best spender on development expenditure among the 47 devolved units.
Narok county, according to the report, spent Sh1.3 billion, representing 30 per cent of its annual development budget, between July and September 2023 alone.
However, the oversight tour found several stalled and abandoned projects, poor workmanship and behind-schedule projects.
In Melili Ward, Narok North, a Sh4 million Enaibor-ajijik hospital has been abandoned despite the contractor having been paid for two certificates raised.
The contractor has been paid Sh1 million but has not been at the site for two months.
Bees have invaded some rooms at the hospital that were to be renovated.
During the visit, there was no single health officer at the facility, with the clinical officer busy attending to his farm nearby.
“I am at my farm because there is no medicine here. Patients visit but there is little we can do,” the clinical officer said.
“The last time the contractor was here was in July last year. There is no reliable water, while the toilets are broken.”
There were five health officers: four men and one woman, all sharing a two-bedroomed house.
“That is how we operate here,” the woman said. “I am forced to stay with the male colleagues because that is the only house in this facility. Further, we have no water and the toilet is broken. It is a real struggle.”
At Sakutiek Health Centre, serving a population of 10,000, there were only three clinical officers, who also have to attend to maternity cases.
The facility lacks gloves for its maternity ward, with patients forced to buy.
It also has no reliable electricity, with the power backup taken away during renovations.
The maternity is also in a deplorable state as the planned renovations did not proceed, apart from painting of the walls.
“Services have now stopped at the maternity during power outages, with medics having to use touches," said an officer at the hospital who sought anonymity for fear of reprisal.
"Critical equipment like the steriliser and the resuscitator have broken down,” he said.
"If not for donor support, this hospital would be grounded."
In Mara ward, Narok West, a pre-primary school classroom collapsed just days after completion in an apparent case of poor workmanship and use of substandard materials.
The county spent Sh1.4 million on the project, according to area MCA Chepkwony Kipng’eno. The roof of the building had also been blown away by wind.
A few miles away, the Sh18 million Rongena-Motony Road in Melelo ward has been abandoned.
The road is impassable despite the contractor having been paid most of the monies for the 6km road.
Senator Olekina said the idea was to have a hospital there to save residents from walking long distances with patients.
The next health centre, at Sakutiek, is more than 10km away.
But that idea has not been achieved.
“The contractors have pleaded with us not to expose them because they are afraid they will not be paid if the truth comes out,” he said.
The contractors said they have not been paid even after raising their certificates, leading to many abandoning the projects.
At the Enaibor-ajijik primary school, there is a single room serving as PP1 and PP2 classroom, where the learners have to wait for the upper classes to finish with desks.
In another project at Nchurra Dispensary, the contractor has not been seen on site for the past seven months.
The residents said the contractor was at the site for just a month before leaving, saying he was giving the structural work he had done time to cure.
Moreover, the county government spent Sh3.5 million on a proposed dispensary at Entinki Primary School.
However, the building is in deplorable state, with the project stalled after the contractor abandoned the site.
At Mukulit Health Centre in the same ward, the construction of the Sh15 million project started in the previous fiscal year but has since been abandoned.
“For more than a year, this project has stalled, yet reports show Narok is the highest spender of development budget. Where is the money going to?” Olekina asked.
Olturuto ECDE project, meant to put up two classrooms, has also stalled months after being launched in September.
