The construction of Arror and Kimwarer multi-purpose dam projects in Elgeyo Marakwet county continue to cause more controversies after the Auditor General Edward Ouko said Sh4 billion paid to the contractor of the two dams by Kerio Valley Development Authority KVDA was not approved.
According to the completed special audit report on the sh60b dam projects, Ouko claimed that there was no proof from the KVDA that the money was paid to the contractor of the Italian firm CMC Di Ravena, Citizen TV reported.
From the report, the authority failed to provide documentation on whom the money was paid to, when and by who made the payment and who granted the payments.
The Italian based firm was to receive 15 percent of the contract sum, or Sh7.662 billion, as an advance payment. In the report, CMC Di Ravena was paid Sh7.86 billion, while Sh11 billion was paid for the insurance of the project’s loan. Another Sh900 million was given to Italy’s government as a commitment fee.
Ouko said that the Kenya Forest Service had not even approved or given out the portion of land that was to be used for the project in Marakwet. He raised the concern perhaps showing that the money may have gone into the pockets of individuals.
Despite the advance payments, reports indicate that there were no works yet done on the two sides to reflect the payments. The audit continued to state that KVDA had not even secured the locations of the two projects.
The scandal has so far seen top treasury and KVDA officials led by the former KVDA managing director David Kimosop quizzed severally by the detectives over the loss of billions of shillings set aside for the two projects.
Already, political noises, especially from the Rift Vally region, have engulfed the project with a section of leaders led by Deputy President William Ruto insisting that there is no money lost in the projects so far.
The scandal has already had casualties on some officials with KVDA management firing its former MD David Kimosop who oversaw the project. Kimosop who had promised to un earthen more details on the project after his sacking was replaced by Francis Kipkech as acting MD.
