Kakamega
By Seliphar Musungu
Lurambi MP Bishop Titus Khamala has given contractors in the constituency three months to complete all stalled projects.
Khamala said he wants to see the contractors who were contracted by the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) are completed on time failure to which the tenders will be cancelled and be given to another contractor.
Some of the stalled projects are a storey building that is to house 8 classes Mahiakalo Primary School, Eshiandukusi primary and Emusala primary among others.
“You cannot be a leader and have a soft skin and expect work to be done. I will be monitoring the projects by myself to ensure those classes am putting up are constructed as per the required standards,” said Khamala.
“If by the end of three months the projects they would not have completed the stalled projects, I will cancel those tenders and give to a serious contractor to finish them. You can take me to court but we shall have already taken away the tender from you,” said Khamala.
Khamala spoke at Matioli Boys High School while handing over a dormitory built by the NG-CDF funds.
“You cannot be a leader and have a soft skin and expect work to be done. I will be monitoring the projects by myself to ensure those classes am putting up are constructed as per the required standards,” said Khamala.
Khamala also took issue with the NG-CDF Project management committee (PMC) over laxity at work, saying they should wake up from the slumber land and work thoroughly in a bid to ensure there is value for money spent on different projects across the constituency.
“As NG-CDF, we do not procure services in goods or construction but we only fund the PMC to undertake the work. Your work is not to visit sites and take allowances but put to account the contractor to ensure work is done to the required standards,” said Khamala.
The MP also blasted government procurement officers in the count for asking money from the PMC before they can okay award of a tender. “You have given someone a contract of Sh3million and a procurement officer is busy demanding Sh100, 000 as a kickback. If we continue this, contractors will not do a good work”
“We amended the NGCDF laws and PMC must come up with own tender committee for your projects. There is no need to look for a procurement officer in Kakamega, download the procurement act and follow to it the latter an save projects from dragging for a long time due to red tape,” said Khamala.
The MP also opposed a proposal by Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha to return corporal punishment to schools in a bid to tame students’ unrest.
Bishop Khamala said there was no need to have corporal punishment reintroduced in schools to end unrest in schools but look for alternative ways of solving the problem saying Magoha is being ill advised.
“When you make laws, you cannot reverse them in future whenever a problem arises but you amend them to make them better. We abolished corporal punishment in schools and we cannot go back to that direction again. This is a social problem and as stakeholders, let’s look for an alternative solution to have them solved,” said Bishop Khamala.
Ends
