By TWV Team
The National Assembly’s Public Investments Committee on Governance and Education has called for investigations into the management of the University of Eldoret over alleged financial misappropriation, with a recommendation for prosecution should culpability be established.
Led by Chairperson Wanami Wamboka, the Audit Committee on Friday conducted an inspection tour of the University’s stalled Amphitheatre project valued at Ksh 373 million. Construction began on 10 June 2019 and was expected to be completed by 14 December 2020.
However, the legislators discovered not only a stalled project but also what they described as a series of poor financial decisions that have exposed the institution to huge losses after the main contractor terminated their engagement with the University. “This project was completely mismanaged by allowing a contract termination and then onboarding sub-contractors. This has cost a lot of money, and the whole process is chaotic,” remarked Embakasi West MP Mark Mwenje.
University Vice Chancellor Prof Thomas Kimeli Cheruiyot explained that the main contract collapsed due to funding challenges, prompting the institution to engage sub-contractors to carry on with some works. The committee, however, termed the move illegal and a clear breach of procurement laws. “You are confirming that you paid sub-contractors despite having a running contract with the main one, who abandoned the site. That makes it illegal,” stated Wamboka. “Since sub-contractors exist on the basis of the main contract, making direct payments to them is an illegality.”
The Committee resolved to recommend that the House involve the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to probe the financial mismanagement of the project by the Project Manager, domiciled at the Ministry of Public Works.
“The Project Manager from the Ministry of Public Works has heavily mismanaged the project and continually misadvised the institution, thereby exposing it to losses,” said Sotik MP Francis Sigei.
Through the chairperson, the Committee further recommended that the Project Manager be investigated by the EACC and DCI and barred from holding any public office or serving in any government institution until the matter is resolved.
“There was a breach of the Public Procurement Act, Section 9, as well as Article 201 (d) of the Constitution,” noted Wamboka. “Money has been spent and lost. We will be making a proposal to the House for EACC and DCI to urgently investigate the institution and scrutinise the prudence in the use of public funds.”
The MPs based their decision on evidence that procurement procedures were not followed, contracts were disregarded, and payments were made without proper documentation, exposing the University and the government to financial impropriety.
