Stop funding Ronald Ngalla College, cost shot up from Sh4.9bn to Sh11bn and more needed — MPs

The Parliamentary Committee on Tourism and Wildlife has directed the Tourism Trust Fund to stop further disbursement of funds to Ronald Ngala Utalii College in Kilifi county.

The committee says it needs to consult further in regards to the financing of the flagship project due to the delay on its completion.

The project started in 2012 and is yet to be completed more than a decade later.  The project has now stalled and the contractor and consultants are yet to be paid.

The project’s initial cost was Sh4.9 billion, but due to delay and lack of funding on time, it will end up gobbling Sh11 billion once fully completed.

The project now requires Sh3.26 billion to complete and operationalize phase 1, which includes payment of pending works of (Sh1.15 billion), (supply of items such as furniture (Sh. 214 million).

A further Sh433 million is needed to implement services plus pending bills amounting to more than Sh1.46 billion.

Tourism and Wildlife Parliamentary Committee chairman Kareke Mbiuki (Maara) said they had agreed with members to consult further with the Executive. This will help them know the position of the government in terms of funding and completion of the project.

Addressing journalists after touring the facility with Tourism PS John  Ololtuaa and top officials from the Tourism Fund and Tourism Promotion Fund,  the MPs said they were willing to go out of their way to fund the project.

“There are so many other areas where the tourism fund is supposed to be channelled basically on promotion and the ability to get more tourism markets. Right now, tourism is facing regional competition in terms of attractions,” Mbiuki said.

He said the committee will also consult with the Ministry of Tourism as well as National Treasury cs to ensure there is goodwill from the Treasury and the presidency.

“This is a critical project we need to ensure there is goodwill from all the arms of government so that we not only complete the construction but also equip and make it operational. We need it to be complete and operational as soon as tomorrow,” he said. 

The Maara MP said they wanted to understand the rationale of starting the college, whereas there was Kenya Utali College that was already not doing well.

Mbiuki acknowledged that due to Vision 2030, there was a need for more training institutions, which was why the former President Kibaki came up with the project.

However, he said the issue of penalties arose after the government failed to effect payments right from the beginning.

“We really look forward to President William Ruto to come and officially open this project because that is when the dream of our forefathers plus the dream of the Coast people will have been fulfilled,” he said.

Earlier, the PS had told the committee that withholding payment was not an option because already, a lot of money had been pumped into the project.

He said even if the committee took time to look at it, they will see  a need for them to complete the project.

Ololtuaa asked if there was a way to convince the Treasury to put in money for the completion of the project as they had allocated Sh500 million for the project and other state  facilities funds, including KICC, and Kenya Utalii College among others totalling Sh1.7 billion.

“We must find a way to finish it because if we don’t, the interest will still continue so it will now be there for ages,” he said.

He said the institution would be unique in that it would have its own identity and other regions in Africa would benchmark.

Committee members include Wanjiku Njuguna (Kiambaa), Kilel Richard (Bomet East), Ruku Kiringa (Mbeere South), Chebor Kibet (Rongai), Shake Peter (Voi), Mugabe Maino (Likuyani), Abdi  Chome (Voi), Obo Mohamed (Lamu East), and Bedzimba Juma (Kisauni).

The committee is on a five-day Coast region inspection of flagship projects with the Ministry of Wildlife, Tourism, and Heritage, its departments, and agencies.

(Edited by V. Graham)