National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Blue Economy, Water, and Irrigation wants the accounts of Kenya Water Institute (KEWI) audited.
Members of the committee asked for the audit during budget deliberations with State Department for Water and Sanitation.
The committee was led by Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome and Principal Secretary Kipronoh Ronoh.
The lawmakers noted that Sh125 million was disbursed to the institute but only Sh60 million was recorded in the budget estimates.
“KEWI needs to be audited. It is one of the best institutes but its future is in jeopardy,” Mwingi North MP Paul Nzengu said.
The institute was established by the KEWI Act 2001 and is mandated to offer training, administer examinations offer research and consultancy services in the wider water sector.
MPs stated that the institution has a history of producing diligent water engineers and should uphold its reputation in the foreseeable future.
In her response, Wahome explained to the committee that the Ministry is aware of the ‘needle in the haystack’ and that they are trying to put in place measures to curb the adversity.
Committee chair David Bowen (Marakwet East) recommended that the ministry reallocate funds to stalled projects in order to complete them.
“If a project is not being funded, remove it from the list. Give money to projects that are nearing completion. The Nairobi City Regeneration project has only about Sh500 million left to be completed, why are you not allocating money to it to complete it?” Bowen posed.
The legislators noted that projects aren’t balanced across the country.
“A lot of funding is centered around northern Kenya yet the region is still experiencing drought. It is a question of, why are we not seeing the impact on the ground. Distribution of resources to other regions should have been considered,” Bowen said.
The chair asked the Ministry to be strategic in their operations and management of projects as water is a crucial component across the country.
