Kwale Governor Fatuma Achani is facing renewed attention after the cost of the countys governors residence reportedly went up to about KSh210 million, almost five times the KSh45 million limit set by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC).
The project has become an issue in the discussion about county spending after businessman Alinur Mohamed spoke out against the spending saying that Kwale—one of Kenyas poorer counties—should be focusing on healthcare, roads and water projects instead of an expensive official residence.
From KSh149 Million to KSh210 Million
The governors residence has been under construction for years with Auditor General reports showing the project was first contracted at KSh149 million well over the SRC limit. The contractor later left the site after being paid than KSh119 million saying they were not paid enough leaving the project stopped.
Newer reports say the total cost of the project has gone up to around KSh210 million increasing the criticism about how taxpayer money's being spent.
In a 2019 circular the SRC told counties to build governors residences on land but limited the cost of construction to KSh45 million for governors, KSh40 million for deputy governors and KSh35 million for county speakers.
Kwales project has therefore become one of the well-known examples of counties going over the recommended limits.
Opponents say the spending is hard to justify because of the countys issues, including problems with health services, road infrastructure and access to clean water.
Governor Achani has said before that delays and rising costs are due to court cases and challenges with getting things done saying the project has had contract problems instead of just construction delays.
Kwale is not the only one. Auditor General reports have pointed out counties—including Bomet, Turkana, Samburu, Lamu and Embu—for projects that are not moving forward or are too expensive raising bigger questions about following SRC rules and how public money is being handled.
As the debate continues the KSh210 million residence has become a symbol of the discussion, about whether county governments are using taxpayer money in a way that matches what the communities they serve need.
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