The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) did not stop the construction of Sh360 million Tharaka Nithi County Assembly building at Kathwana that has stalled since 2015, it has emerged.
The leadership of the former county assembly is on record stating that EACC ordered a stoppage of the work to investigate allegations of corruption in the tendering process, a fake narrative that was transferred to the current administration.
The Press Point has established that EACC is not aware of the issue and that the commission does not have the mandate to give such orders even in the event that it’s surely conducting investigations.
The EACC Eastern region deputy director, Mr George Ojowi has indeed stated that his office is not in pursuit of such a matter and that he was not informed about the subject by his predecessor, Mr Ignatius Wekesa when he was handing over the office to him nor is there any documentation regarding the same.
The revelation by the EACC regional boss comes as a shocker to both the current administration of Tharaka Nithi County Assembly and the entire county residents.
“I am not aware of any investigations involving the Sh360 million stalled building and there is no single document in my office concerning the same,” said Mr Ojowi.
According to the incumbent Speaker, Mr John Mbaya and the clerk, Amos Kiangwe Sikweya, they inherited a ‘verbal case’ from John Mbabu because there was no single document from EACC indicating that there was any probe going on and that the work was stopped.
Eager to know the progress of the ‘investigations’ Mbaya said that he wrote three letters to the EACC regional office in Isiolo then headed by Mr Wekesa seeking to know the status of the matter but his concerns were never responded to.
The Speaker went on and requested payment of Sh36 million to the contractor for the work that he had done so that he could continue with the construction but the office of Controller of Budget declined to release the money insisting that it had been instructed by the EACC not to pay since the project was being investigated over alleged deceitful procurement.
“I even recorded a statement at the regional EACC offices in Isiolo concerning the matter demanding to know the status of the matter so that the work could continue,” said Speaker Mbaya.
The Speaker added that he also on several occasions visited the office of the Controller of Budget in Nairobi trying to unlock the stalemate without success.
Later Mbaya and Sikweya formed a special committee that continued to fast-track the matter and now the deadlock seems unlocked.
“The long road is narrowing and soon we will be able to continue with the work,” said the Speaker.
In a sitting early this week, MCAs walked out of the make-shift chambers that they have been operating from since 2013 protesting the stalemate surrounding the construction of the building.
They stated that they will hold future sittings under a tent pitched at the site until the building that is at the foundation level is completed.
Unanswered questions:
Who came up with the narrative that EACC had stopped construction of the building and for what reason?
Who is this person who probably colluded with the regional EACC office and that of the Controller of Budget to issue verbal instructions stopping the construction of the crucial building?
Why did the former and the current county assembly leadership adhere to verbal instructions if at all they are genuine in their argument?
Now that the deadlock seems unlocked, when are the MCAs and the people of Tharaka Nithi County expecting a good chamber and offices?
The Press Point will continue to unravel the mystery surrounding this building.
