Tana River contractors seek Senate intervention over unpaid bills

Contractors in Tana River County have expressed their sheer disappointment by the Senate Public Accounts Committee’s failure to visit the county last week, to listen to the concerns of the citizens, and to put the county government to task over management of the county funds.

Speaking in Hola town in a meeting with Area Senator Danson Mungatana, the contractors alleged that the county was not taking the issue of pending bills seriously and that there was a breach of payment schedule for pending bills favoring recent contractors over those who delivered their projects long ago.

Further, the contractors alleged that according to reports delivered to the senate and the controller of budget by the county, there are several ghost projects, which have allegedly been paid for, and yet on the ground there was nothing at all.

Speaking to the press after the meeting, Mungatana called on his colleagues at the senate to plan for sessions at the county soon so that they could come on the ground and see for themselves the concerns being raised by the people of Tana River.

“Our businessmen are saying that the principle of First in First Out (FIFO) is not being adhered to in this county. There are people who delivered their contracts long ago and have not been paid yet. There are those who did projects recently and have been paid because of allegedly a good relationship with the governor,” Mungatana said.

“The contractors are also saying that the payment schedule is not being followed and their papers are being used to release money from the controller of budget, and yet that money goes to other companies. These are some of the issues that the Senate Public Accounts Committee should have visited here to come and witness themselves,” he added.

Mungatana further noted that a Senate mashinani session in the county would unearth several ghost projects and save the public funds for the local people who have continued to suffer in marginalization due to the misuse of their resources by a few officials.

“There are projects that the county officials, when called to the senate in Nairobi, say that they have been completed, yet on the ground there is completely nothing. They are justifying the use of money on non-existent projects. There are roads that the county is claiming they used millions to construct, and yet nothing has been done. The people of Tana River are saddened by the failure of the Senate PAC to come here,” he said.

“I urge my colleagues in the senate to plan for a day to come here because our citizens are waiting for them so that you listen to their issues and find a way to help them so that they can be paid. The issue of pending bills in the county government. There are counties that have come up with management plans to clear pending bills and are paying them according to their schedule, but there are counties that are not following their own schedules,” he added.

According to Rashid Onchanga, who is the secretary general of the county Civil Society Organizations, they regretted the failure by the committee to visit the county, noting that they had been prepared to raise their issues, get answers from the county, and tour projects that are said to be completed.

“We had been invited here, and the Senate PAC committee would visit here on the 25th of this month. They were to come here after Kilifi on the issues of management of public funds by the counties. This is one of the most marginalized counties in the country, and its vulnerability is still rising,” Onchanga said.

“We want that committee to come here so that we can voice out our concerns. We visit the projects which are allegedly said to have been completed because we have analyzed our county budget and all the reports so that we can see where those ghost projects, which are getting paid,” he added.

Steve Buya, a young person in the county on his part, wondered why a session would be cancelled for a simple reason: that the governor was not available when his deputy was around and could have taken the mantle to answer the concerns raised.

Buya called on the county government to be serious on the issue of the pending bills, noting that when contractors continue to miss out on their money, families and suppliers also suffer and stall livelihoods of the local people.

“We wanted to address several issues that the county government has failed to do, starting with pending bills. When the pending bills are not being paid, the county is not running. This is the second incident for the senate to come here and find the governor is not available; if the governor is not here, the deputy governor should have taken over to answer these concerns,” Buya said.

By Erick Kyalo