Garissa county commissioner Mohamed Mwabudzo has warned contractors delaying public projects that they will be blacklisted.
Speaking in Balambala subcounty on Wednesday, he put all contractors doing shoddy work on notice, saying the government wants value for money.
“If any contractor continues doing substandard works, they will be blacklisted,” Mwabudzo said.
“We want contractors who have the capacity to deliver on government projects and finish these projects within the stipulated period.”
Mwabudzo was leading a team of the County Development Implementation Co-Ordination Committee in inspecting government projects.
Contract variation happens when contractors want to renegotiate the original agreement.
This arises due to changes in the design of the project or prolonged undertaking.
Sometimes it is prompted by conditions such as the market value of materials increasing over time, thus pushing up the original cost.
However, some contractors are believed to be intentionally delaying projects to request additional funding based on contract variation.
In other instances, contractors abandon projects despite being paid more than 50 per cent of the dues.
Among the projects inspected were the Balambala police offices and residence, a Sh148 million project launched in 2012 that is set to be completed in a month’s time.
The project will host the Balambala subcounty police headquarters.
It has 36 two-bedroom residential units, which will host the police officers.
Balambala Technical and Vocational Education and Training was launched in 2016.
It was to be completed within a year in 2017 at Sh52 million, but it was yet to be completed, with the contractor demanding an extra Sh13 million as variation cost.
However, the contractor has been given a notice to complete the project within one month so the institution can be ready to host students in the next intake.
Garissa presidential delivery unit director Mahat Shalle urged his TVET counterpart to start mobilising the communities so school enrolment will be high once the institution opens.
“This is a project that will impact these communities in many ways, including acquiring skills and job creation,” he said.
“I urge the director for TVET to mobilise the young people in the surrounding communities and ensure there is enough enrolment.”
