Tourism Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua finds himself in hot water as the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) unveils missing billions during his stint as the Machakos Governor.
A deep dive into a report by Auditor General Nancy Gathungu by the Senate Public Accounts Committee spotlighted halted projects awarded to contractors throughout Mutua’s decade-long term.
Among the noted projects was the inception of two-storey buildings in 2015, yet their completion hangs in the balance.
Unaccounted Billions surrounding CS Alfred Mutua
The report unveils, in 2018, the former county chief greenlighted the construction of two skyscrapers. They include a 12-storey structure tagged at Ksh399 million and an 11-storey counterpart at Ksh394 million.
However, Gathungu expressed apprehension as contractors have since deserted the projects. This came to light a revelation made during a site visit in October 2022.
Stalled Projects
Despite an initial eight-week completion timeline, the buildings, now a Ksh176 million sunk cost, stand uncompleted.
Further, the report shed light on other dormant projects including the Mumbuni Dam, with a price tag of over Ksh750 million, and stadiums demanding Ksh147 billion.
Cumulatively, the staggering Ksh1.8 billion total for all lingering projects from his tenure brands the county as notably wasteful.
Mutua also faces accusations of exiting office with a Ksh3.1 billion backlog of unpaid bills. That is alongside Ksh1.14 billion in legal fees.
With these legal expenses, Machakos tops the charts in contentious payments, constituting 37 per cent of all disputed county bills.
The allegations taint the Tourism CS’s legacy, who, in 2013, ambitiously aspired to morph Machakos County into a picturesque city.
By 2021, the narrative had shifted, with the then Governor regularly facing scrutiny following a stalled Ksh1.3 billion dream to construct a city from the ground up.
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In a July Senate session that year, Mutua was grilled on Ksh1.19 billion outstanding bills, a figure that has since tripled. He also fielded criticism for a subpar running track at a stadium.
In a bid to realize the city dream, seven building projects were commissioned to contractors in 2019. However, fast forward to 2021, none saw completion.
In his defense, the former Governor affirmed three projects reached completion. He blamed the sluggish fund disbursement from the treasury for the delay.
He also disclosed the expulsion of the contractor responsible for the substandard running track, with a halt on the remaining payments.
“Management has embarked on contract termination and necessary legal maneuvers to safeguard against public fund loss,” he articulated at the time.