Among the committee’s concerns is that the contractor who won the tender for the second feasibility study on the Galana project quoted Sh793 million but was awarded the same at over Sh900 million.
The committee accused the implementers, including the NIB and the ministry, of going ahead with the project without a budget.
Out of the 500,000 acres that were put under irrigation, the government got 10 bags per acre out of a targeted 40 bags of maize.
A parliamentary committee has called for the suspension of the Galana-Kulalu irrigation scheme and directed the Auditor General Edward Ouko to immediately conduct a special forensic audit on President Uhuru Kenyatta’s flagship food security project.
The National Assembly Agriculture committee also ordered the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to investigate the procurement of the Sh14.5 billion irrigation project with a view to holding to account individuals at the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Irrigation Board (NIB) who handled one of the Jubilee government’s flagship project.
The committee’s chairman Adan Noor said they resolved to suspend the project pending re-evaluation by the government.
“The Treasury has since pumped in Sh7.5 billion to develop the initial 500 hectares of the 10,000 hectare model firm but there is nothing to show for it. The project has not even achieved 20 per cent of the targeted 10,000 hectares model,” Mr Noor said.
He was flanked by members Opiyo Wandai, Philip Rotino, Mary Wambui, Florence Mutua, Fred Outa and Kabando wa Kabando.
The Mandera North MP said the EACC should immediately investigate the tendering process and implementing agencies of the project.
Among the committee’s concerns is that the contractor who won the tender for the second feasibility study on the Galana project quoted Sh793 million but was awarded the same at over Sh900 million.
The first feasibility study carried out by the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute at a cost of Sh32 million was disregarded by the government, which went ahead to engage an Israeli firm, Agri-Green, to conduct a second study for the viability of the one million-acre irrigation project.
The committee accused the implementers, including the NIB and the ministry, of going ahead with the project without a budget. Government financial regulations require that a budget must be available before a contract can be signed.
“The Israeli funding is yet to arrive. The project for the development of the 10,000-acre model farm was floated, evaluated, awarded and signed in one week to a parent company (Green Arava) of Agri-Green – the firm that conducted the feasibility study. It amounted to single sourcing,” Mr Noor said.
Out of the 500,000 acres that were put under irrigation, the government got 10 bags per acre out of a targeted 40 bags of maize.
President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto in 2014 launched the project aimed at putting one million acres of land under irrigation with the ultimate aim of addressing the country’s perennial food shortage.
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