The order was issued by the National Assembly's Committee on Blue Economy, Water Resources, and Irrigation during a meeting with the Chief Secretary for Water and Sanitation, Julius Korir, to assess the progress of projects under the Sustainable Water and Sanitation Program for Kenyan Cities.
Legislators expressed concern about the constant delays in the implementation of a number of projects, accusing some contractors of non-compliance, despite receiving several contracts.
The program, jointly funded by the Kenyan government and the African Development Bank, covers 58 cities and includes 61 water and sanitation projects with a total value of 45.5 billion kenyan shillings. According to the U.S. Department of State's Office of Water and Sanitation, the program is expected to create approximately 15,000 jobs during and after construction, as well as improve access to clean water and sanitation services.
Committee Chairman David Bowen Kangogo said that Parliament would not tolerate further delays that deprive Kenyans of access to vital services, despite significant government investments. Committee members raised concerns about unscrupulous contractors, management issues among some water service providers, legal disputes, and rising construction costs, which they said had slowed down project implementation.
The committee was informed that out of the 61 projects in the program, 12 have already been completed and put into operation, while 26 are complete and awaiting commissioning. Another 22 projects are currently under construction, and one project has been suspended due to ongoing legal proceedings. In response to the committee's concerns, Chief Secretary Korir stated that the government has already terminated contracts with certain contractors in areas such as Mander and Meru after they failed to demonstrate the necessary capacity to complete the projects. He noted that procurement processes are currently underway to find new contractors and accelerate the completion of affected projects. «Kenyans do not deserve empty promises. That is why the Ministry is implementing new methods to ensure that projects are completed and serve citizens on time», Korir told the committee.
Lawmakers also called for closer coordination between the national government and district authorities to address end-user connectivity issues, emphasizing that every shilling invested in water and sanitation infrastructure should translate into reliable services for citizens.
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