Why Nairobi County government is looking for new stadia contractors

Nairobi County Government has said they are looking for new contractors to build three stadia in the capital following the Dandora Stadium construction fiasco.

This as the county government has also threatened to rip off the contract for Dandora Stadium and award it to a new contractor should the current contractor delay resuming work at the ground.

The contracts for the three stadia including Kihumbuini, Kawangware and Ziwani were awarded to Scanjet Construction Limited.

However, following the saga surrounding the construction of the Sh350 million Dandora Stadium, City Hall has signaled that they are looking at engaging new contractors.

Nairobi County Education and Sports CEC Janet Ouko said the county government has decided to chart a new path concerning the construction of the three stadia.

“He is the same contractor who was given contract for the other stadiums and we have been having issues with him. So for now, we have decided that he might only do the Dandora stadium and then as a county government we will have to chart another way forward because if you are not able to respect a contract then we cannot move forward,” said Ms Ouko.

Scanjet was awarded the construction of four stadia in Nairobi at a cost of Sh1.3 billion but trouble began when they changed contract specifications for the Sh350 million Dandora Stadium from concrete to steel structure.

This has seen the completion of the stadium stall for over a year now even though the works on the ground were already at 80 percent.

The projects were awarded in the 2017/2018 financial year with Kawangware Stadium to be built at a cost of Sh250 million, Kihumbuini at Sh250 million and Ziwani at Sh186.6 million.

Last month, President Uhuru Kenyatta directed that City Hall ensure the stadium is completed even as probe into the project continues to benefit 32 teams that depend on the ground.

Ms Ouko has now warned Scanjet to move back to the site, failure to which they will engage another contractor to complete the stadium.

The CEC said the contractor had said he is able to complete the remaining works in one and half months.

“We are telling the contractor to own up to his mistake and go back to the stadium and do what the county government asked in the contract. Go back to the stadium and complete the work and if not then we will have no choice but to evict you and give the work to someone else,” she said.

She said the contractor cannot dictate terms for the county government standing her ground that City Hall will not pay for the steel structure unless they are given the go ahead by the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) and Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).

“In professional terms, no one is able to pay for the steel structure until such a time we are guided by PPRA and EACC. This is the burden the contractor will have to carry,” said the Sports CEC.

“We gave you a contract to build a concrete structure in Dandora, whether it is good or bad please give the residents the same. A contractor is bound by the terms of contract and nobody can lecture us on what he wants the stadium to look like mid-contract,” she added.