Kakamega County Pushes New Bill to Complete Stalled Projects and Attract Investors

Kakamega County Assembly held a public participation event to gather local input on a proposed infrastructure development bill aimed at completing large-scale and stalled projects. 

The bill also seeks to attract investor support and redirect county funds from rent payments towards other citizen-benefiting initiatives.

Following the event, Bonface Osanga, the Chairperson of the Planning and Budget Committee, addressed the media. He emphasized the importance of passing the bill, citing the county government’s expenditure of over 400 million shillings on rent as an example. Osanga argued that enacting the bill into law would help conserve these funds and redirect them to more impactful projects.

"Currently, we are spending over 400 million shillings on rent for the county government premises that house all our ministries. These funds could be used to pay interest to investors who would help us develop our own offices. The cost of paying these investors would be far less than the amount we are spending on rent. This is a great idea because the projects could be completed within four or five years, at which point the savings could be redirected to other development initiatives," he said.

He added, "This bill will benefit the residents and attract investors. Previously, we had investors, but there was no legal framework to guide their operations. Now, with this bill, there will be clear guidelines on how investors will engage with the county."

The bill was seconded by Sylus Shiyenji, the MCA for Idakho East and Chair of the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee. He stated that the bill would help prevent the issue of incomplete projects, especially when new leaders take office.

"As a county, we have embarked on large-scale projects in the past, but when a governor or MCA leaves office without completing them, the projects often remain unfinished because their successors may not want to be associated with them. This new bill addresses such scenarios by ensuring the county government continues to pay contractors to complete the projects. For large-scale projects, the county government will partner with investors to ensure they are finished, and the investors will be compensated based on agreed terms," said Shiyenji.

Benjamin Chwaya, the Chair of the Public Service and Administration Committee, echoed these sentiments, noting that the bill could attract foreign investors.

"I want to commend the citizens of Kakamega for their constructive engagement during the public participation on the infrastructure development bill. This bill will enable us to complete stalled projects that have been delayed due to lack of funding. If passed into law, I have no doubt it will attract investors to Kakamega, thereby boosting the county’s economy," said Chwaya.

Attendees, led by Edward Wambani, the leader of the Kakamega County CSO Network, voiced concerns about certain aspects of the bill. They expressed a willingness to collaborate with the government but urged the county to reconsider some provisions.

"While we came to participate in the public exercise, I don't believe this bill is entirely well-intentioned. For example, there's a clause that states the county government will pay departments if projects are not completed. This could lead to a situation where someone intentionally delays a project, knowing that the county will take over the payments, which will ultimately be funded by the taxpayers. Rather than passing this bill, I would prefer that the county work with the national government on large-scale projects," said Wambani.