The Lake Victoria Environment Management Project is on the spot over suspected irregularities in the procurement of a Sh76 million dredging machine.
The machine that is meant to remove the invasive water hyacinth from the lake lies idle as the weed spreads.
Environment and Natural Resources Cabinet Secretary Keriako Tobiko and LVEMP project manager Francisca Owuor had a hard time last week when they appeared before the Regional Integration Committee of the National Assembly to explain why the machine acquired in 2016 is not in use.
The machine is largely funded by the World Bank but has been unable to deal with the intrusive weed about 21 years since it was established.
The MPs have also raised concerns that the LVEMP project has received over Sh4 billion from the World Bank for tree planting among other projects, but the impact is yet to be felt among the local community.
But it emerged that LVEMP procured the dredging machine well aware that it did not have the right specifications to deal with the weed that has made transportation of goods and fishing expeditions in the second largest fresh water lake in the world difficult.
The lake covers the three East African countries — Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
The failures at LVEMP forced the government to acquire another dredging vessel owned by a Ugandan firm, Mango Tree Group, which was unveiled by President Uhuru Kenyatta and Opposition leader Raila early this year. The machine is 70
Though the supplier is demanding more to fix the unused dredger, the World Bank has given the implementing agency until April 30 to resolve the standoff with the ministry even as it suspended all projects in the lake basin region for stock-taking on the return on investments.