National Assembly Departmental Committee on Blue Economy and Fisheries cautioned the Ministry of Water against allocating funds to new projects while there are existing ones nearing completion.
Chairperson of the committee, Marakwet East MP David Bowen said the ministry should instead prioritise the completion of stalled projects.
He said the ministry should allow Kenyans to reap the benefits of the projects rather than embark on new ventures that would require years to finish.
“If a project such as Umma Dam is 71 per cent complete, why are you advertising it under the Public Private Partnership yet taxpayers' money has been used to fund the project? Are you willing to withdraw money from the new projects to reallocate it to the stalled projects?" Bowen asked.
The committee was considering the ministry’s budget estimates and expenditures for the next fiscal
Water Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome and Irrigation Principal Secretary Mugambi Gitonga appeared before the committee to provide clarifications and respond to queries concerning their budget proposals.
In her response, Wahome stated that Umma Dam kept changing pace adding that the State Department would not allocate money for its completion without proper evaluation of its status.
Tiaty MP William Kamket told the ministry to consider natural water sources such as Lake Baringo to enhance irrigation in the region to curb drought and food insecurity.
The chairperson probed the CS as to why there was an inconsistency in the status of projects whereby a project such as Thiba Dam was 99 per cent complete in the previous budget estimate but 84 per cent complete in the current budget estimate, same as Turkana Irrigation project that was 39 per cent complete but 14 per cent complete currently.
Mugambi acknowledged that the discrepancy was an oversight on their part and assured the committee that a thorough error check would be conducted, followed by the resubmission of the corrected documents.
Bowen assured the ministry that the committee will review their submissions and will give fair recommendations and assessments before the report is submitted to the House.
The Committee on Blue Economy and Fisheries is conducting a series of consultative meetings with State Departments falling within its jurisdiction.
