The entrance to the University of Nairobi.
At least 10 public universities are grappling with stalled projects worth more than Sh6 billion, prompting the National Assembly Education Committee to demand a freeze on new developments until existing ones are completed.
It has emerged that institutions of higher learning are struggling with dozens of incomplete projects that have already consumed billions of shillings, yet remain unfinished.
The projects, ranging from lecture halls, student hostels and libraries to amphitheatres, perimeter walls, academic blocks, laboratories and dining halls, have been abandoned midway, largely due to funding constraints.
Completion rates range from as low as 0.3 percent to about 60 percent.
The issue drew sharp criticism from the National Assembly Education Committee, which questioned why new projects continue to receive funding while older ones remain stalled.
“We have stalled projects, yet we are still funding new ones. This is unacceptable and we need to stop this trend,” said Kitutu Masaba MP Clive Gisairo, a member of the committee.
Documents submitted by Education Cabinet Secretary Migos Ogamba, alongside the latest report by Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu, reveal widespread delays and inefficiencies in project implementation across universities.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba.
According to the audit report for the year ending 2024, at least 10 public universities have ongoing projects that have stalled or remain incomplete well beyond their scheduled timelines, raising concerns over value for money and weak contract enforcement.
"The public universities continue to incur significant expenditure on capital projects that have stalled, faced delays or remained incomplete beyond their scheduled timelines, raising concerns over value for money and weak contract enforcement. Some projects have faced legal disputes or lacked proper documentation for variations in contract sums, while others experienced delays due to inadequate supervision or unresolved design and approval issues," states the report.
The report further notes that some projects are entangled in legal disputes, while others lack proper documentation for contract variations or suffer from poor supervision and unresolved design issues.
Universities have also failed to provide clear justifications for the delays or demonstrate efforts to enforce contractual obligations.
At Taita Taveta University, an amphitheatre and digital centre remain incomplete despite payments totalling Sh198 million.
Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology has stalled projects worth Sh2 billion, including a library, tuition and administration blocks.
At the University of Nairobi, a student hostel at the Lower Kabete Campus has remained incomplete for over 30 years since construction began in 1992. Other stalled projects include the School of Pharmacy and an engineering complex.
The University of Eldoret has an amphitheatre valued at Sh373 million that has stalled, while Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology has delayed projects worth Sh391.5 million, including an administration block and a boundary wall affected by a court case.
Garissa University has multiple stalled projects worth Sh1.14 billion, including administration and tuition blocks, a library and a water tank.
One of the entrances to Chuka Univesty in Tharaka Nithi County in this file photo.
At Chuka University, a male students’ hostel valued at Sh559.5 million has stalled at 52 percent completion, while Meru University of Science and Technology has five stalled projects worth Sh650.5 million.
Moi University tops the list with stalled projects worth Sh2.2 billion, including a faculty of science, hostels, a law school library and a multipurpose amphitheatre.
Kenyatta University has six stalled projects valued at Sh2.1 billion, including a children’s hospital, a school of business, a recreational centre and a dairy technology farm.
At Egerton University, projects worth over Sh1 billion, including a library, administration block and science laboratories, remain incomplete. Pwani University also has a stalled perimeter fence valued at Sh45.3 million.
Auditor-General Gathungu has advised public universities to prioritise completing stalled projects before initiating new ones, warning that continued delays risk wasting public funds and undermining service delivery.
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