Katherine Getao, the ICT Authority’s chief executive, claims she was threatened with dismissal after she refused to grant Sh180 million for the relocation of internet lines from the new Nairobi Expressway construction corridor.
Unnamed lawmakers tried unsuccessfully to persuade her to release the funds that the agency had not budgeted to spend, she told Parliament.
“I was threatened with sacking in this project. I had been told to leave the institution by December 31, last year. Most of the tension that occasion that threat came from such political projects,” Ms Getao told the Senate committee on ICT without revealing the identities of individuals who had supposedly tried to coerce her to sign off the cash.
Instead, the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) stepped in and gave the funds, according to the official.
Ms Getao explained that the ICT Authority had been tasked with overseeing the relocation of fiber infrastructure for both the government and the commercial sector in order to minimize service interruptions during construction.
Water, sewerage, electricity, and fiber infrastructure have all been impacted by the development along the route.
Last year, KeNHA said that it will spend Sh4.5 billion to transfer infrastructure from the Nairobi Expressway construction corridor, including electricity lines, fiber optic cables, water and sewage pipelines.
Water and sewerage pipes have previously been relocated along the roadway, costing taxpayers Sh2.1 billion.
