Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa on Monday inspected resumption of construction of Kakamega Level six hospital which had stalled in 2021.
During the inspection, Governor Barasa assured residents that the county government jointly with the National Government will ensure the facility is completed within nine months.
He said that the county government had spent over Sh2.6 billion in the construction of the level six hospital before the construction was halted by the previous contractor.
The governor noted that a new contractor; Plumbing Systems, has now taken over with President William Ruto committing Sh1 billion to expedite the construction works.
He said the county government is committed to settle Sh350 million pending bills owed to the previous contractor.
“The previous contractor did some submissions of pending bills of almost Sh350 million which we are doing evaluation because we can’t just pay bills before doing evaluations. Once the evaluations have been done and verified, then definitely we will be moving to pay,” he explained.
The governor said that they have agreed with the previous contractor in principle to separate pending bills from the balance of works. “It is not going to be a hindrance and that is something we are doing concurrently as the current contractor continues to work on the balance of works,” he added.
He said the contractor has deployed over 200 workers and is ready to increase the number to ensure that the project is delivered within the set timelines.
By Moses Wekesa and Selphine Katumanga
