No new State projects until old ones are complete, says Uhuru
What you need to know:
- President Kenyatta said the directive is aimed at stopping wastage of resources.
- It also aims to curb the habit of government agencies abandoning incomplete projects and starting others.
- He said only projects directly aligned to the Big Four agenda might be exempted from the freeze.
President Uhuru Kenyatta has issued a directive freezing all new government projects until ongoing ones are completed.
In a directive to all government accounting officers, the President warned that they would be held responsible if they sanction new projects without the express authority of the National Treasury.
President Kenyatta said the directive is aimed at stopping wastage of resources and the habit of government agencies abandoning incomplete projects and starting others.
“There will be no new projects that will be embarked on until you complete those that are ongoing,” said the President.
BIG FOUR PROJECTS
He was speaking Friday at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi where he addressed a meeting of all government accounting officers including principal secretaries, parastatal heads, vice chancellors of public universities and heads of State corporations.
Mr Kenyatta said projects which might be exempted from the freeze will be only those that are directly aligned to the Big Four agenda.
But even those ones must get written authorisation from the National Treasury, he added.
“Even if new projects are aligned to the Big Four they cannot be started without express authority from CS or PS of the National Treasury,” said President Kenyatta.
PROCUREMENTS PORTAL
At the same time, President Kenyatta announced that the government will soon launch a new internet portal where all procurements will be publicised.
He said all procurements, tenders and contracts will be advertised on the portal to create transparency and safeguard public resources from theft.
“All procurement officers have been taken through the operations of the portal and they have given their feedback. The portal will be launched soon,” the Head of State said.
President Kenyatta added that the portal will help bring accountability as Kenyans will see the processes followed in awarding of tenders.
He reminded the officers that Kenyans expect them to be the guardians of public resources.
The president assured Kenyans that the renewed war against corruption will go on adding that those who act within the law have nothing to fear.
