Former Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale has partially backed President Uhuru Kenyatta's move to cancel the construction of the multi-billion Kimwarer Dam.
Uhuru on Wednesday cancelled the project, months after its construction turned into a scandal, after the company awarded the tender was declared bankrupt.
In an interview on K24 on Thursday, Khalwale said that while the cancellation is in order, it should only be temporary, so that the work can proceed later.
He added that the current time should be used to punish the persons who might have been involved in the scandal surrounding the Sh22.2 billion project.
"Let's first deal with corruption by punishing the corrupt individuals and let the project move on," he said.
This comes amid reports that the relevant company, Italy's CMC Di Ravenna had already pocketed Sh4 billion for the project, but with almost zero works going on on the ground.
He added that the same ailment ails the Galana-Kulalu model farm project where MPs in May found out in that the involved firm, Israel's Green Arava, spent Sh580 million to clear bushes in the 10,000 acre piece of land.
The project is located at the border of Kilifi and Tana River counties, with Khalwale observing that it too has been abducted by the corrupt.
"The government was thinking in the right direction when coming up with the galana kulalu project; unfortunately, it has been weakened by corruption," he added.
Uhuru cancelled Kimwarer project after a committee he had appointed to look into Sh63 billion projects declared it neither technically nor financially viable.