Deputy President Prof. Kithure Kindiki has ordered the removal of a contractor accused of abandoning the Sh.114 million Kaguku market project in Ithanga Sub County, Murang’a County, warning that firms entrusted with taxpayers’ money must deliver projects within agreed timelines.
Prof. Kindiki stated that the government would follow the required legal and procurement procedures to terminate the contractor’s contract and appoint another firm to complete the market, which he said should already be serving traders and residents of Ithanga.
Speaking during a development tour of Gatanga Constituency on Thursday, the Deputy President said he did not want to see the contractor return to the site, insisting that legal action should be taken over the stalled project.
“You cannot be given a contract by the government of Kenya, which uses taxpayers’ money, and then keeps deceiving the people,” he said.
The DP said the market had remained incomplete despite the passage of months and that the government would move swiftly to get another contractor.
“Two months, three months, four months, even a year has passed. This market is supposed to have been completed by now and should already be serving the people of Ithanga,” he averred.
The Sh114 million project, also referred to as Kaguku Market, has recorded only about 17 per cent progress since it commenced in 2024, according to the deputy president’s inspection report of the project.
Prof. Kindiki said the government would begin the process of identifying another contractor immediately, with the aim of having a new firm on site by Monday.
He also directed that the contractor be held accountable for funds already released for the project.
“We must take legal action against that contractor. It is not possible for you to receive funds from taxpayers and you fail to do the work you have been awarded. We will make the contractor account for the funds already released,” he remarked.
The deputy president’s remarks come amid wider government efforts to address delays in the implementation of publicly funded projects.
The Public Procurement Regulatory Authority has previously warned that implementation challenges can result in delayed, incomplete, stalled and abandoned projects, with such failures affecting service delivery and potentially increasing costs to procuring entities.
Prof. Kindiki said Murang’a has 27 market projects under the government programme, with most either completed or at advanced stages of construction.
In Gatanga, the Ndunyu Chege Market is being constructed at a cost of Sh152 million, while Gatunyu Market has been allocated Sh109 million.
The government’s markets programme is intended to provide traders, including small-scale traders and fresh produce vendors, with modern and dignified trading spaces while improving the environment for doing business.
Kindiki said the government was also investing in student accommodation, with eight hostel projects planned or under implementation across Murang’a.
At Gatanga Technical and Vocational Training College, a hostel project comprising 340 rooms has been re-advertised for contraction at a cost of Sh145 million after the initial contractor was disqualified.
Beyond markets and hostels, the Deputy President said the government had prioritised the upgrading of 1,285 kilometres of roads in Murang’a County to bitumen standards at a cost of Sh56 billion.
He spoke while inspecting the ongoing Kirwara-Kigio-Jogoo Kimakia/Blue Post road in Gatanga, a 26-kilometre road being upgraded at a reported cost of Sh861 million.
Kindiki said the government had the resources to undertake and complete the road projects, which are expected to improve connectivity, facilitate movement of agricultural produce and link residents to markets and essential services.
The DP’s visit also comes as the government continues to roll out infrastructure and housing projects in Murang’a. Other programmes highlighted during his tour included affordable housing, student hostels and electricity connectivity.
Prof. Kindiki stressed that the government would not allow stalled projects to remain unattended, warning that contractors awarded public projects must honour their obligations and deliver value for the taxpayers’ money.
By Bernard Munyao and Florence Kinyua
