A Sh740 million county headquarters that took more than 11 years to complete and required Senate intervention to cross the finish line remains largely unused, a year after it was officially handed over to the Turkana County Government.
The four-storey complex in Lodwar, one of the county government’s flagship projects, was handed over by the contractor, Landmark Holdings Limited, on July 28, 2025, following intervention by the Senate Standing Committee on Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations to address prolonged construction delays.
Yet, Governor Jeremiah Lomorukai and key county departments are yet to move into the building, raising fresh questions about the utilisation of a major public investment that has consumed at least Sh740.7 million in public funds.
Construction of what is now one of the tallest buildings in Lodwar began in 2015 during the administration of Turkana’s pioneer governor, Josphat Nanok. Its prolonged construction became a recurring subject of public criticism and parliamentary scrutiny.
The project’s history was further complicated by variations that pushed the contract value from an initial Sh695 million to almost Sh1.199 billion.
Unlike the governor’s official residence, which Landmark Holdings Limited, acting as the second contractor, handed back to the county unfinished after payment delays, the county headquarters was eventually handed over as a completed project.
Its completion followed sustained pressure from the Senate committee, which had inspected stalled projects in Turkana and raised concerns over the prolonged construction period and underutilisation of county infrastructure.
The county administration and Landmark Holdings subsequently appeared before the committee on May 26, 2025, where the contractor was pressed to explain why the multimillion-shilling headquarters had not been handed over.
Landmark Holdings director Manjit Singh told the committee that the main building works had been completed three years after the contract was signed, but blamed delays in plumbing and electrical works for the failure to hand over the facility.
“We had completed building the County Headquarters by 2019. However, two subcontractors in charge of plumbing and electrical works are yet to finalise the works. The electricity has not been fitted and tested,” Mr Singh told the committee.
He said approval of the subcontracts had taken more than five years, contributing to the delay.
According to the contractor, responsibility for the delayed completion therefore lay with the subcontractors handling the plumbing and electrical works.
But the committee also demanded clarity on the money spent on the project. Senator Richard Onyonka (Kisii) challenged both the governor and contractor to state precisely how much remained outstanding.
Governor Lomorukai acknowledged that the project had taken far too long, while stressing that many of the problems predated his administration.
“The building is more than 90 per cent complete. What remains is electricity connection, carpet installation in two offices, and a few other final touches,” he said.
The governor said the county government had already paid Sh740,724,014 and that, under procurement laws, only Sh24 million remained legally payable to the contractor. He attributed some of the early challenges to poor coordination between the county and national governments during the initial years of devolution.
The designs, he said, had been prepared by the Ministry of Public Works because the newly established county lacked the technical capacity to undertake the work itself.
“We didn’t receive the Sh500 million that other counties got from the national government for their headquarters. Turkana funded this entirely on its own,” Mr Lomorukai said.
Mr Singh, however, was non-committal on the final amount due, saying consultants from the State Department of Public Works and Housing should first verify the civil works undertaken and quantify them before the contractor could submit a final bill.
He told the committee that the project operated under a fluctuating contract, meaning the contractor and county officials would have to conduct an official account of what had been done, what had been paid for and what remained outstanding.
The scope of the project had also changed during construction. Mr Singh told the committee that the original design provided for two lifts, but this was later varied to three.
Following the committee’s directive, the contractor moved to complete the outstanding works and facilitate the official transfer of the building to the county government.
The complex was designed to house the Governor’s office and other key county departments, with the aim of easing congestion, improving coordination and enhancing service delivery by bringing departments under one roof.
County Secretary Dr Richard Ekai described the eventual completion and handover, after 11 years, as a milestone in Turkana’s infrastructure development.
“The modern building will house the Office of the Governor and other key departments. It is expected to ease congestion in some offices, improve coordination among county offices, ultimately enhancing service delivery to residents,” Dr Ekai said.
County Executive for Finance and Economic Planning Roseline Aite said the facility would improve operational efficiency by allowing departments to work more closely under one roof.
Her counterpart in Roads and Public Works, Mr Benson Lokwang, praised the collaboration between county departments and the contractor.
Mr Lokwang said the project had suffered delays arising from budgetary constraints, procurement issues and changes to the scope of work.
He added that during previous oversight visits, the Senate committee had raised concerns over the prolonged construction period and underutilisation of county infrastructure, recommending the speedy completion and full occupation of the facility by county departments.
For residents of Lodwar, however, completion alone has not ended the questions surrounding the project.
Some have called for government agencies to investigate the possibility of embezzlement of public funds and establish how the money allocated to the project was spent.
Mr Joseph Egelan, a Lodwar resident, questioned why Turkana had taken more than a decade to secure a functional county headquarters.
“We have recently witnessed Trans Nzoia County Government headquarters completed as had been planned. Did it have to take a decade for Turkana to have a county headquarters?” he asked.
Mr Egelan called for investigative agencies to provide a detailed account of the funds spent under the previous administration and establish whether any malpractice occurred.
“If there was any form of malpractice by officials, they should be held responsible,” he said.
Despite the delays, the headquarters has already hosted several county government functions, including the swearing-in of new County Executive Committee members and chief officers.
It was also used for the launch of the first phase of bursary distribution under the Turkana County Education Fund, presided over by Governor Lomorukai.
Residents and local businesses are now hoping that full operationalisation of the complex will unlock further economic opportunities through employment and service contracts.
Mr Richard Taiswa, owner of Nanyorai Gardens, said the building’s expansive compound presented an opportunity for landscaping and gardening services.
He described the headquarters as a symbol of growth and transformation for Turkana and said he hoped his business could contribute to its beautification.
“With well-nurtured flowers and trees, the modern office building, with top-floor offices offering a panoramic view of Lodwar town, could be complemented by a refreshing breeze sweeping through the elevated floors, giving the workplace both elegance and comfort,” he said.
The headquarters may therefore have finally crossed the bureaucratic and construction hurdles that kept it grounded for more than a decade. But until the county government fully occupies it, the project remains an expensive symbol of Turkana’s long struggle to turn public investment into functioning infrastructure.
