Taita-Taveta County Assembly has demanded for a full disclosure of details for the Sh 859 million water-supply contract.
The costly project was signed between the department of water of Taita-Taveta and a contractor for supplying water to over 100,000 residents of the region.
During a heated grilling at the County Assembly, officials from the water department and TAVEVO, the county’s water and Sewerage Company, were put to task over deliberate failure to disclose the details of the multi-million contract and how it was awarded.
He noted that the money from the World Bank was meant to ease the water woes for residents of the region but warned of possible misappropriation if oversight for the project was not intensified.
Officials present for the grilling include Water Chief Officer Silvanus Mwakoma, Taveta Managing Director Richard Ngwatu and Edward Mwakisima, Programmes’ Officer amongst others.
The Chief Officer Silvanus Mwakoma was hard pressed on the role of the department of water in overseeing the implementation of the project. He was put to task for ignoring the recommendation of the County Assembly that questioned the suitability of David Ngumbao to serve as the Director of Water in the county.
They include correspondence between TAVEVO and the Ministry of Water, copy of the approved budget by the board and copies of invoices authorizing any payments, bank statements and copies of minutes by the board in the last two years and the scope of works.
The assembly further directed that the Chief Officer must ensure that when he appeared next to answer questions over the project, he should be accompanied by his officials including the water director to answer questions over the project. – KNA
