CS Alfred Mutua on Spot Over Missing Billions Paid to Contractors
After the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) uncovered billions in missing funds during Alfred Mutua’s tenure as Machakos Governor, the Tourism Cabinet Secretary is now a prime suspect.
The Senate Public Accounts Committee raised alarm over stalled projects awarded to contractors during Mutua’s ten-year term while investigating a report released by Auditor General Nancy Gathungu.
The construction of two-story buildings, which began in 2015 but whose completion is uncertain, was one of the highlighted projects.
According to the report, the former county administrator awarded the contract for the construction of the two buildings in 2018: a 12-story building worth Ksh399 million and an 11-story building worth Ksh394 million.
Gathungu, however, expressed concern that the contractors had abandoned the projects as of her office’s October 2022 site visit.
Both structures, which were expected to be completed in eight weeks but remain unfinished, have depleted a total of Ksh176 million.
Other unfinished projects highlighted in the report include Mumbuni Dam, valued at over Ksh750 million, and stadiums estimated to cost Ksh147 billion.
All pending initiatives from his decade in office totaled Ksh1,8 billion, placing the county among the most wasteful.
The CS was also accused of leaving the office with outstanding invoices totaling Ksh3.1 billion and legal fees totaling Ksh1.14 billion.
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Machakos is the county with the most contentious payments, accounting for 37 percent of all contentious county payments.
The accusation leaves a tainted record for the Tourism CS, who in 2013 made grand promises to transform Machakos County into a breathtaking city.
After spending a total of Ksh1.3 billion and failing to realize his ambition of constructing a city from scratch with a pipeline, the then-governor was periodically put to death in 2021.
In July of that year, while appearing before the Senate, Mutua was also pressed for information regarding invoices totaling Ksh1.19 billion, which have since tripled. He was also accused at the time of installing a substandard jogging track in a stadium.
To realize the city, the governor awarded seven construction contracts to contractors in 2019, but as of 2021, none of the projects had been completed.
In response, the former governor stated that three projects had been completed and that the release of funds from the treasury was hindering the remaining projects.
In addition, he disclosed that the contractor who installed the fake running track had been removed from the project and that the remaining payments had been suspended.
He stated at the time, “Management has initiated contract termination and subsequent legal action to ensure no public funds are lost.”
CS Alfred Mutua on Spot Over Missing Billions Paid to Contractors
