When President Uhuru Kenyatta took office for a second term, one thing that stood out about him was his ambitious development plan dubbed the Big 4 Agenda. This is a 5-year development plan under 4 key pillars namely:
Manufacturing, Affordable Housing, Universal Health Coverage and Food Security.
It is the First and Fourth Pillar that is now under great threat following the recent mega dam scandal that has hit the nation with 68 Billion disappearing into thin air.
Kerio Valley Development Authority under the Ministry of East African Community (EAC), was tasked to oversee the construction of multi-purpose dams, Arror and Kimwarer in Elgeyo Marakwet County.
However nothing tangible has been done with Kenyans being fooled over the whole project.
Illegal tenders and compromised procurement procedures has seen Kenya loose billions through the dams projects.
Arror Dam was set to cost Sh38.5 billion while Kimwarer was to cost Sh28 billion. The two projects are being financed through a loan from the Italian Government.
According to the initial plan, CMC Di Ravenna was to construct Arror Dam, a hydropower plant complete with transmission lines and related facilities.
The firm was also to develop infrastructure for 2,500 hectares for irrigation, development of water supply and storage infrastructure to support 50,000 people as well as conservation activities of Arror catchment.
If and when completed, the Arror dam was to produce more than 60 megawatts of electricity and the Kimwarer dam 20 megawatts, which will be connected to the national power grid.
Food security and industrialisation, which have been dealt a huge blow in the dam scandal, are among Uhuru’s priority projects dubbed the Big Four Agenda.
Already the National Irrigation Board is quarrelling with an Israeli firm that was contracted to construct the ambitious 1 million-hectare Galana-Kulalu Irrigation project.
When will this Madness Ever Stop? Who is to blame?