The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission is set to probe the just concluded construction of irrigation structures at the Gem Rae scheme.
The construction of the structures at the cost of Sh32million has raised eyebrows and concerns from residents who have complained of a sub standard job by the contractor.
The Gem Rae project is part of the larger program by the Kisumu County Governments that targets to improve food security in the county as well as promoting agribusiness.
It is part of the four cluster schemes in the Wach Kano Delta that also includes Oyani-Nyachoda,Kopudo and Alara.They were all started in 1985 by the European Economic Commission as part of the Smallholder Rice Project( SRP).
The projects have for long been abandoned but the county government has been pursuing ways of restarting them.
Kisumu Governor Anyang Nyong’o has been vocal in his efforts to rehabilitate the irrigation infrastructure in the county and the move by EACC could deal a major blow to his efforts.
The Gem Rae project is supposed to cover 350 acres of land that should be put under rice irrigation.The management activities are currently handled by the farmers under the Gem Water Users Association who are working closely with the county government.
Aminakash company limited was awarded the tender to set up irrigation structures in the scheme under tender number CGK/DALF/KCSAP/NYS/2019-2020/001 in February 2020.
The Times understands that the contractor abandoned the site and the tender was cancelled despite having been paid Sh28 million as per the documents in our possession.
Efforts to get a response from the county’s Chief Officer for Agriculture Dr. Paul Omanga were futile but the contractor Mr Michael Mwavula said that “ everything is open and clear” and that he is not “afraid of anything”.
The Times has also established that the same contractor has won yet another tender worth 500m to construct a water pipeline under world bank tender in Kilifi Mariakani Water and Sewerage Company Limited (KIMAWASCO).
He has already been paid over Sh100m to start the project which is already attracting a lot of interest in Kilifi. The EACC sleauths are said to be investigating circumstances under which the contractor is getting multimillion tenders in various counties.
In Kisumu,Governor Anyang Nyong’o has been keen on revitalizing agriculture for food security and agribusiness as part of the second Sustainable Development Goal of “provision of food and establishing sustainable food production”.
In his recent State of the County Address,Nyong’o said sustainable food security was progressing well in the county.
“Our strategies to develop the rice sub-sector through rehabilitation of the irrigation infrastructure, provision of input to farmers, capacity building and expanding land under irrigation has realised tremendous growth in production that has steadily risen from 15 bags per acre three years ago to 35 bags per acre today,” Nyong’o said.
He said the steady growth of the rice sub sector over the last four years led to last year’s cumulative production of 280,000 bags (16,000 metric tonnes) from 8,000 acres of land earning 2,285 farmers Sh 560 million.
“This translates to about 530 per cent growth from 2016 when we realised a production of 52,500 bags from 3,500 acres of land worth Sh105 million,” Nyong’o said.
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