The Kilifi County Government has announced plans to suspend all old development projects whose contractors failed to apply for an extension of time, in a move aimed at addressing rising pending bills linked to stalled works.
Speaking to journalists in Kilifi after inspecting the ongoing construction of the county headquarters, Governor Gideon Mung’aro said the decision was intended to curb the accumulation of arrears, particularly those arising from incomplete projects.
“We are taking firm action against old projects where contractors did not seek an extension of time. This is part of our efforts to address pending bills caused by stalled developments,” said Governor Mung’aro.
The Governor revealed that the county had already begun an exercise to identify and list all stalled projects to facilitate implementation of the directive.
“We have initiated an audit of all stalled projects so that we can take appropriate action and reduce the county’s debt burden,” he added.
Mung’aro further noted that completion of the county headquarters would significantly lower operational costs, noting that the county would save more than Sh50 million annually currently spent on rent for office space.
“The headquarters will house the offices of the governor and deputy governor, as well as all county departments, complete with meeting rooms, making service delivery easier and more accessible to wananchi,” he said.
According to the project manager, Engineer Christopher Kiuro, construction of the county headquarters has so far reached 70 per cent completion, with efforts underway to fast-track the works.
“The project is currently at 70 per cent complete and we are working to ensure it is completed at least three months before the October 2026 target,” said Kiuro.
At the same time, Governor Mung’aro defended his administration following Controller of budget reports listing Kilifi among counties that had zero expenditure on development in the first half quarter of the 2025/2026 financial year.
“The delay in utilisation of development funds was largely due to challenges experienced during the rollout of the national E-Government Procurement (EGP) system,” he explained.
However, the Governor assured that county staff had since been adequately trained on the new system and were now ready to fully implement it to accelerate development projects across the county.
By Stephen Mrira
