The government has been asked to investigate the stalled Sh7 billion gravity canal project for Bura irrigation scheme in Tana River county.
The 26km project was conceived in 2013 and was supposed to take less than two years to complete.
The canal was to connect the main irrigation canals from Korakora intake with Nanigi main canal and supply farms in Bura.
The project was supposed to save the National Irrigation Board millions of shillings used to pump water from river Tana into the canals.
Addressing the press in Garissa town after touring the stalled project in Dirime, an infuriated Bura MP Ali Wario termed the project a "cash cow for NIB officials".
The MP said records showed already Sh2 billion was paid to the contractor between 2013 and 2017 before the contractor abandoned the site two years ago.
“Sh2 billion is not ordinary change. This is a huge amount of money that could have been felt on the ground. But as we speak, there is nothing on the ground to reflect this kind of money that has been paid to the contractor,” Wario said.
When the press toured the sites, they were met with abandoned machinery and containers. Weeds have overgrown buildings.
Day watchman Mohamed Balaga said the contractor left the site just before the last General Election. Two other guards man the sites.
“To be honest, Kenyans are taken for a ride by a few greedy public servants whose only motive is to use such projects to swindle public funds," Wario said.
"It is my appeal to the offices charged with fraud investigation to get to the bottom of this matter. We cannot allow Sh2 billion to disappear just like that. Somebody must be held responsible.
“The government intention in this project was good. It was a life changing project to the residents of Bura who are now languishing in poverty,” he added.
Efforts to reach NIB officials overseeing the project did not bear fruit.
The project has since inception encountered numerous challenges. At one-point casual laborers working for the contractor protested demanding wages that had accumulated for over 10 months.
