Construction of Sh400m Tharaka Nithi County headquarters stalls yet again

 

Construction of the Sh400 million county headquarters in Kathwana has once again stalled due to lack of funds. Work on the five-storey building that started on June 3, 2015 was to be completed in three years.

County staff currently operate from makeshift offices. Governor Muthomi Njuki said yesterday the national government was yet to fulfil its 80 percent funding pledge towards the construction. 

The building is one of the five counties headquarters offices being funded jointly by the national government (80 percent) and the devolved units (20 percent).

“The national government has continued to frustrate the contractor by failing to pay money for work done compelling the contractor to stop the work,” said Governor Njuki.

The contractor, Terracraft Kenya Limited, is also demanding that money for the contract be ring-fenced in the budget as an assurance that funding for the project will not be interrupted.

The contractor is also seeking approval of contract extension application up to January 2022.

State-funded projects

For the work to proceed, the contractor is also demanding payment of money for the extended preliminaries, variations and revision of rates.

During an inspection tour of state-funded projects by the National Development Technical Coordination Committee led by the Interior Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho in October last year, the team set January 30, 2021 as the completion date.

Dr Kibicho had assured that there would be no further delays in payment because the money had been budgeted for and urged the contractor to increase the workers on site in order to meet the deadline.

“The county commissioner should personally supervise the work in collaboration with the responsible county official in order to make sure that the building is complete by January 30,” said Dr Kibicho.

The PS warned that the contractor would be prosecuted if he failed to meet the December deadline.

Renting office space

The remaining works include roofing, fixing of windows and doors, partitioning of rooms, general finishing and civil works.

Dr Kibicho also promised resumption of work on various stalled road projects including, the 30-kilometer-Chuka-Kaanwa-Kaare road that started in 2014 but only tarmacked six kilometres but nothing is yet to change.

Governor Njuki said he has also been updating the Presidential Delivery Unit on the status of the building but nothing seems forthcoming.

“The responsible government officers are letting the President down because he is expected to soon visit the county to commission the building among other projects including Kirubia Stadium and county commissioner’s offices in Kathwana which are almost complete,” said the governor.

Delays of the works has also compelled some officers who are supposed to operate from headquarters Kathwana to remain in offices in Chuka, over 30 kilometres away.

The county government also incurs huge expense renting office space in Kathwana.     BY DAILY NATION