Members of Kilifi County Assembly have termed Kilifi North Member of Parliament Owen Baya’s statement that the construction of the ultramodern office complex for MCAs will cost taxpayers about Sh1 billion as misleading.
Speaking to journalists in Malindi, Kilifi County speaker, Jimmy Kahindi, said that the structure was slated to cost Sh408 million as opposed to the MP’s claims.
The speaker has revealed that public works through the then County Secretary Owen Baya, now the Kilifi North MP, proposed that the structure will cost Sh600 million before embarking on a private consultancy that settled for Sh408 million.
Kahindi added that it is a common law practice forward representatives to have offices both at the ward and headquarter levels, adding that MCAs have been forced to meet the people they present in private restaurants as they wait for afternoon sessions which he termed it as costly and risky.
"Which priorities is Mr. Baya insisting that the county assembly is supposed to do if it’s not catering for the welfare of the members of county assembly by the provision of equipped offices?”
Kahindi, who is now serving his second term, told journalists that money budgeted for county assembly operations will never be misappropriated to facilitate village projects for such projects have their budget through the county executive.
The building whose foundation stone was laid by Governor Amason Kingi on November 4, 2016 is now under Eden Homes Ltd after termination of the initial contract with Green County Ltd who were dragging the construction process.
“If Mr. Baya really has Kilifi people’s interests, why didn’t he oppose the bill of salary increment, free car, mortgages and medical cover to MPs they passed the previous day in the National Assembly?” he added.
The speaker said that the project which is still at 25% to its completion has been dragging since 2016 because of poor means of funds disbursement from the controller of budget to the counties.
The building will have 60 offices, a restaurant, a kitchen, a physical fitness centre among other sections.
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