Deputy Chief of Staff, Performance and Delivery Management Eliud Owalo, has reiterated the government’s stand to complete stalled projects before embarking on new projects.
He observed projects began by the former regime that were verifiable and visible will be completed to benefit the people and grow the economy.
“The government is committed to completing projects initiated by previous governments, ensuring their visibility and benefiting the people,” he underscored.
Nevertheless, projects started over 20 years ago, he said, cannot be blamed on the current government, as there were successive governments in between and the projects are still stalled.
Owalo announced that all current administration projects will be completed within the stipulated timelines to benefit wananchi during a stakeholder engagement forum at TM grounds in Narok town.
The deputy chief of staff, who was accompanied by Narok Governor Patrick Ntutu, said his visit was to verify the exact status of the implementation of the government projects and get views of the residents on their development priorities.
“Projects have specified timelines and also have got budgetary provisions. Where we are facing challenges, we will intervene to mitigate the challenges by reaching out to the relevant government agencies with a view to ensuring they are completed on time,” he said.
During the campaign season, he recalled, President Dr. William Ruto went to all the counties to hold the Bottom-Up Economic forums where the stakeholders gave their views on the development priorities of their specific areas.
The views collected in specific counties are what informed the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), that the government is currently implementing, he said.
“We are coming to see our scorecard so that we can tell the people what we promised and what we have scored,” he said.
He underscored the need to work with the county governments, saying though the two levels of government were independent of each other, they were collaborative and interdependent.
Some of the projects the Deputy Chief of Staff visited is Kilgoris-Lolgorian roads that are being built to the tune of Sh. 1.5 billion. The road, which is 90 per cent complete, will facilitate faster connectivity between Kilgoris town and Lolgorian town.
Another major project inspected was Kilgoris Water Supply and Sanitation, which is being built at a tune of Sh598.8 million and is expected to benefit over 1600 households.
Also inspected is an oxygen plant installed at Kilgoris Hospital at a tune of Sh. 300 million shillings.
The deputy chief of staff, who was on a two-day development visit, also inspected the ongoing construction of the Uhuru market that is being built under the Economic Stimulus Programme (ESP) at a tune of Sh. 357 million.
When complete, the market will host 1100 stalls, an ICT hub and a sanitation block, among others.
He also inspected a by-pass road being built to connect the county government offices to the Narok-Bomet highway at a tune of Sh. 600 million and a mega bridge near the Narok GK Prisons that will cost Sh. 125 million.
Governor Ntutu commended the collaboration between the two levels of government, saying they are working to ensure they complete all projects started on the specified timelines.
“We do not want any white elephant projects in our county. That is why we are collaborating to ensure what we start is completed on time,” reiterated the governor.
The forum was attended by heads of departments both from the county and national government and other key stakeholders in the county.
Those who spoke praised the government for the ongoing projects and called on residents to continue embracing peace, which is key in fostering development.
By Ann Salaton
