By Betty Luke
Isiolo residents might be forced to wait until after the 2022 general elections to benefit from the ongoing mega projects worth more than Sh1 billion.
The Press Point can authoritatively confirm that the Sh545 million modern market, Sh345 million state-of-the-art stadium and the county headquarters that is expected to cost more than Sh600 million will not be completed by the end of 2021 as the county government had earlier promised.
County secretary Ahmed Galgalo had in April this year assured that the projects would be completed by the end of this year.
The stadium, which will nurture talents and motivate youths to embrace sports while also cutting cost for players seeking proper training grounds, was to be completed by December 2020 but was extended with two months due to Covid-19.
But four months later, phase two of the work, which includes the construction of terraces and another pavilion and laying of tartan track, is yet to commence. Construction works started in early 2019.
Completion of the modern market expected to accommodate more than 1,000 traders and help end frequent stand-off between traders in Isiolo town will also take longer.
Finance Chief Officer Peter Ngechu in March last year said the county government had not received any funding from the national government that had committed to provide Sh100 million for the market every financial year.
The official had then lamented over the delay in the release of the funds blaming it on delayed completion of the projects that he said Governor Mohammed Kuti was keen on completing.
The County Government had in 2019/2020 budget allocated Sh250 million for the county headquarters whose completion will enhance service delivery.
The government in 2017 promised to provide Sh121 million for the construction of the headquarters every fiscal year until 2022 but county officials have previously insisted that the promise had not been honoured.
While there has been delays in release of funds from National Treasury, the long wait has been blamed on contractors’ laxity.
Isiolo County Assembly chamber whose construction is moving at a faster rate. BETTY LUKE/PRESS POINT
Residents wonder why the construction of the Sh300 million county assembly ultra-modern debating chamber with a 300-seater capacity was progressing at a faster rate while the older projects were still lagging behind.
Sources revealed a possibility of completing the building, which will ensure residents have a chance to attend assembly sessions, by the end of the year.
Completion of the stadium, market and county headquarters could spill over to next year when campaigns will have gained momentum and therefore a likelihood of them being extended to after elections.
