Ex-Governor Ngilu's stone crusher project a waste of taxpayer's money, Senator Wambua says

He said it was inexplicable and shocking that Ngilu administration sank up to KSh. 208 million into establishing  the ballast crusher only for the facility to raise a paltry of KSh. 2 million in revenue.

“This is a major scandal. How can this stone crusher that gulped Sh. 208 million of public money raise KSh. 2 million revenue in four years then collapse?” posed Senator Wambua.

Senator Wambua said due to the suspicious way things happened at the crusher, there was  every reason  for investigations to establish  how funds were siphoned. The senator was speaking during a Oversight Mashinani forum at the site of the now dormant Kwa-Kilui ballast crusher in Lower Yatta sub-county of Kitui. The crusher was acquired and  set up in 2018 when Ngilu was governor. 

Wambua had earlier inspected the now desolate and rusting crusher and other machinery.The project  stopped operation in June 2022 two months before Ngilu left office after the general election of August the same year. 

Ngilu was succeeded by Governor Julius Malombe. Although  her name was on the ballot paper, Ngilu had after presenting her nomination papers to IEBC walked back on defending her seat.

The Senator said he was not amused by a report tabled  at the Tuesday meeting by the Lower Yatta sub-county administrator, Samuel Wambua, who disclosed the crusher only raised a revenue of KSh.  2.6 million before machines stopped roaring in 2022.

The official who represented the County Government of Kitui further disclosed that besides the KSh. 162 million that was used to set up the crusher the facility gulped another KSh. 46 million in operation cost between 2019 and 2022.

The county official made a more shocking revelation that even these 20 acre land where the capital investment crusher plant stood was on lease. He said the lease would expire by 2029 and the massive facility will have to be moved elsewhere.

The sub county administrator said that although the stone crusher was previously ran by the County Government of Kitui, governor Malombe administration was not keen to continue running it. He said there was option of selling the crusher.

He further said the county government had also the option of facilitating the local community to run the crusher through a cooperative  society. Also on the cards, he added, was the option of a Public-Private Partnership. 

MCA for Kwa-Vonza Mark Ndingo, said some Kitui county officials diverted money collected as revenue from the crusher as  the money went to a private account and was transferred to various other mobile money services account that did not belong to the county government.    

The Senator moved the meeting in urging Governor Malombe’s administration to use all legal means to ensure persons who may have siphoned funds from the stone crusher and  bringing it to its knees were brought to book.

The community members at the meeting unanimously rejected any move to sell off the stone crusher. They said the best thing to do was for the county government to help in reviving the facility and allow it to be managed by a community cooperative society.

The meeting further resolved that the County Government of Kitui should review the arrangement to lease the land where the crusher is located and instead negotiate to purchase the land from the owner as the crusher would remain on the land for years.