Africa-Press – Kenya. Construction of the Office of Auditor General headquarters at Sh6.2 billion has stalled for eight years, a Parliamentary Committee has learnt.
The Budget and Appropriations Committee heard that OAG acquired land in Nairobi, Upper Hill, in the financial year 2013/2014 but it has remained idle for eight years “which is an audit query in itself.”
“The construction is, however, expected to commence in the current financial year,” Auditor General Nancy Gathungu said in a report to the committee.
Gathungu said her office is also constructing Coast regional office in Mombasa at Sh900 million.
“We acquired the land in the financial year 2018/2019 and the project is also expected to commence in the current financial year and to be completed by June 2026,” she said.
In the report, Gathungu said one of the challenges her office is currently facing is inadequate office space which exposes staff to unsafe working environments.
“In addition, to enhancing independence and reducing auditor-client familiarity, it is important to house our staff in our premises,” she said.
The report noted that stalled projects tie up scarce resources.
“They do not also provide services to the citizens, and this has resulted in a lack of value for money in the implementation of projects. It cannot be equated to development,” she said.
Gathungu recommended that public sector entities complete existing projects and put them to use before embarking on new ones to ensure there are adequate funds for other new projects.
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