The devolved government of Homa Bay has demolished a multimillion-shilling factory that was almost complete to pave way for the construction of the governor’s office.
Taxpayers could have lost Sh100 million that was the cost of the factory, which was at the roofing stage. Construction of Arujo Animal feeds factory started during Governor Cyprian Awiti’s tenure.
The current administration took over the project until May this year when it was decided that an office for the governor and senior staff be built at the site. Another site for the factory was reportedly identified.
Two activists accuse the devolved government of wrongly demolishing the factory and failing to seek public opinion. Construction of the office has been challenged at the Environment and Lands Court.
Mr Evance Oloo and Mr Eugine Obisa say the demolition did not follow the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act 2015 (PPADA) and related regulations.
They demand that information regarding the valuation of the building before it was demolished be made public.
“It appears the building was demolished without a professional valuation, which is crucial for ensuring the county government gets fair value for the property,” Mr Oloo said in a letter to the departments of roads, finance, procurement and public works.
Initially, the building was to be used as a Huduma Centre. It was to be renovated and converted to offices.
Mr Oloo said in the letter that there was no clear plan outlining the method of disposal, the reason for the demolition and the expected benefits.
“The county government did not use a public auction or tendering, both standard methods for the disposal of public assets. Failure to advertise the disposal publicly raises concerns about transparency and fairness,” the letter continued.
Mr Oloo wants the county government to account for materials used in putting up the building. He says the public should get evidence from structural engineers if the building was condemned.
The activists told the court that the county government went against the law when it took the decision to move the headquarters from the current location to the outskirts of Homa Bay town.
Among claims is failure to obtain approval from Members of the County Assembly for the devolved government to sign a deal with the County Pension Fund (CPF) that is constructing the offices. The county government is also accused of failing to promote competitive bidding when it picked CPF for the project.
Mr Oloo wants the court to suspend the project until evidence of the devolved government complying with the necessary requirements for it to move the head office is provided.
Justice George Ong’ondo set October 7 as the hearing date when the petitioners will give their arguments.
Homa Bay signed an agreement with CPF in May to build the offices for Governor Wanga, executives and other officials. CPF and National Lands Commission (NLC) approved a request by the devolved government to lease land for the offices to be built. CPF will finance the project for seven months before the county government repays the remaining monthly instalments for 30 years. Ms Wanga says the offices being used by senior county staff are small.
“Some officials are struggling to find space to operate. The new building will gave a good environment,” the governor said when she led the ground-breaking for the offices in Arujo on May 31.
It will have an amphitheatre, lactating room, one-stop service centre, executive, departmental, board offices and key components of a county headquarters.
