• He said accountability remained key to successful implementation of development projects.
Deputy President William Ruto has asked leaders to work together with development partners to ensure that there was no duplication of funding of projects in their areas of jurisdictions.
He expressed concern that there had been cases where some projects in the country had been accounted for more than once.
Speaking during the North and Northern Eastern Development Initiative (NEDI) leadership consultative forum at his Karen office, Nairobi, on Tuesday, Ruto said leaders must guard against replication of projects in their respective areas.
“We do not want a situation where one programme is being accounted for more than once. We must guard against it because it will result in the abuse of resources,” said Ruto.
The Deputy President urged leaders to always take the lead in helping the people prioritise projects that have direct impact on their lives besides participating in their implementation.
“The national and county governments should work together with MPs and development partners in the initiation of projects as well as their monitoring to avert any unnecessary photocopying of such programmes,” he said.
He said accountability remained key to successful implementation of development projects that would transform the lives of Kenyans. Present were National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale, Governors Ali Roba (Mandera), John Lonyangapuo (West Pokot), Dhadho Godhana (Tana River), Mohammed Kuti (Isiolo), World Bank Programme leader for sustainable development Helene Carlsson Rex and several MPs. At the same time, the Deputy President said there should be efficient flow of information on the implementation of development projects.
He asked Governors and MPs from the NEDI regions to always attend meetings, saying such forums help in oversight and implementation of projects.Mr Duale said county and national governments must work together in ensuring that there was no duplication of funding of projects in any part of the country.“There is serious duplication of funding of projects, especially when it comes to the construction of water pans in some parts of the country. It’s important to give an identification mark to county, national and donor funded projects to differentiate them,” said Duale.
He added: “Our interest is to make sure every coin whether from national, county or donor is used in the right manner and for the intended project.”Roba said projects should always be evaluated before their implementation, saying such efforts ensured there was no duplication of development programmes.
“It’s nearly impossible for county governments to duplicate projects. Development projects are always highly monitored. There is always value for money. We may have differences among leaders but this cannot amount to duplication of programmes,” said Governor Roba.
On his part, Governor Lonyangapuo called for proper training of officers implementing development projects for accountability purposes.The Government in collaboration with the World Bank is working to increase investments in transformative and integrated infrastructure and sustainable livelihoods in the NEDI region.
Both the national and county governments will spearhead NEDI. Its success will depend largely on strong collaboration between the stakeholders: the two levels of government, the private sector, civil society organisations and development partners.
Rex urged the Government to eliminate barriers that have made it difficult for the World Bank to initiate prioritized development projects in any part of the country within the stipulated time.
“Obstacles which have made it hard for us to initiate projects within the stipulated timeframe should be addressed,” said Rex.