NEWS

CS Murkomen, investigative agencies tasked to probe contested Banisa constituency roads projects

Published

5 months ago

December 2, 2023

NAIROBI—Three constituents from Banisa Constituency in Mandera County have tasked state investigative agencies to probe road projects in the area for alleged flouting of procurement laws.

In a complaint letter addressed to Kenya Rural Roads Authority (Kerra) and the Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport Kipchumba Murkomen, Mohamud Osman, Rahow Muktar Mumin and Khalif Nur Haji stated that the tender notice for “Routine Maintainance and Spot Improvement of Various rlRoads in Mandera County” on the 8th of November, 2023 was riddled with discrepancies.

WHAT ARE THE COMPLAINTS RAISED?

The three raised alarm include; duplication of projects and lack of public participation for need assessment. They also cited that site visiting was not done as per the dates indicated in the tender notice.

“This is a glaring testament that Kerra intentionally flouted The Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act, 2015 and Public Finance Management act,2012 because they know that we don’t have a representative in the National Assembly who would have raised the matter,” the complaint letter seen by Kulan Post said in part. Banisa Constituency has not had an MP since April last year after the demise of Kullow Maalim Hassan.

The contested roads projects include Darwed- Derkale, Ameye- Kiliwehiri, Banisa- Eimole, Hullow-Arda Gabicha, Malkamari- Hullow, Ameye- Kiliwehiri, Banisa- Eimole and Malkamari Hullow roads.

Others are Darwed- Derkale, Banisa- Eimole and Malkamari- Hullow road.

“In the case of Darwed- Derkale road, Darwed is a ward in Takaba constituency while Derkale is in Banisa constituency.

The projects that was cited for duplication are Banisa- Eimole and Malkamari- Hullow roads, which was advertised as two separate projects in the same tender notice dated 8th November, 2023.

“As residents of Malkamari ward, Banisa constituency, we have not been included in the identification and the need of the aforesaid tenders; there was no public participation conducted in the entire Banisa constituency, and no site-visiting was done despite the tender notice showing date 16th of November, 2023 as the specific days set for the bidders to visit the sites,” the constituents protested.

They further said that contractors are colluding with Kerra officials “with the sole intention to take advantage of the vacuum due to the lack of a national legislative representative that would allow them unchallenged embezzlement of public funds through unscrupulous projects.”

While addressing CS Murkomen, the constituents said: “We consider it fit to bring this matter to your attention so that you take note of the misdoings going on and the unscrupulous tendering process in a bid to shed light and prevent corruption and embezzlement of our allocation through fictitious road projects.”

Kulan Post understands that The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) were also notified of the complaints raised by the aggrieved constituents.

In a brief rejoinder, the EACC said its pursuing the matter and would launch “investigation soon.”