Leaking Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) roofs cost taxpayers Sh175 million, but even with the high cost, Kenya Airport Authority (KAA) still hired an incompetent contractor exposing Kenya to international ridicule, the Auditor-General has revealed.
In an audit interrogating the leaking roofs at JKIA Nancy Gathungu has criticised the work done by the contractor hired to implement ‘waterproofing and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC)’ at JKIA’s Terminal 1B & C, noting that taxpayers did not get value for the Sh175 million paid.
The leaking roofs not only elicited public criticism during rains late last year and early this year, but also tainted the country’s image as water seeped through some parts of the international airport.
“Physical verification carried out in the month of February, 2024 revealed that the project was 100 percent complete. However, it was noted that the problem of water leakages persisted despite extra protection having been done on the affected areas of the roof due to the differential movement of the expansion joints creating gaps,” the audit notes.
The contractor started implementing the project in February 2022 and completed it in September 2022.
The works were supposed to provide a solution to leaking roofs experienced before, but even after completion of the project, complaints persisted during rain seasons as water started leaking through creating discomfort to travelers, and attracting criticism to the KAA.
Ms Gathungu in the report indicates that “the fact that the issue of water leakages persisted after project completion raises concerns about the effectiveness of the initial solution and the quality assurance measures during construction.”
