Gov’t pushes forward completion of Ksh.82B Thwake Dam as contractor unable to meet deadline

The national government has for the fourth time pushed back the completion date of the Ksh.82 billion Thwake Dam project.

This comes after the main contractor, China Ghezhouba Group Company, informed Water Cabinet Secretary Zachariah Njeru that it would not meet the February 4, 2024 deadline.

The agreement between the State and the contractor for the completion of the dam has now been set for sometime in October, although sources who attended a meeting led by the CS at the site say the contractor wanted more time to complete the dam in December.

So far the project has consumed over Ksh.22 billion, monies that have been funded mainly by the African Development Bank.

The funds make up close to 90 percent of the total funds required to finish the first phase of the project but a lot still needs to be done at the dam.

"Tumeafikiana na contractor kwamba huenda tukauongezea muda ili waweze kukamilisha. Mambo mengi wameleta ni mambo ambayo hawangeweza kutatua kwa mfano mradi huu umekuja wakati kulikuwa na Covid-19 na pia tunajua bei ya vitu vingi imeweza kwenda juu…hata hivyo tumeafikiana na tukakubaliana kabla ya mwezi wa kumi hapo hivyo watakuwa wamemaliza mradi huu," Njeru said.

Controversy has since dogged China Ghezhouba Group which has been forced to shut down operations several times owing to cash flow problems.

There are incidents where workers downed their tools for lack of payment while theft of equipment at the site also resulted in the project being affected. Questions have since been asked on how the said Ksh.22 billion was spent on the project.

The main contractor has also been embroiled in court battles with a sub-contractor over lack of payment.

The tussle arose sometime in 2021 when JTG Enterprises demanded payment for the completion of the spill way works.

China Ghezhouba Group Company appealed against a court ruling on August 9, 2023 which ordered the main contractor to pay the sub contractor close to Ksh.700 million.

CS Njeru has commanded the contractor to complete his work with or without the court wrangles.

"Unapoenda kutafuta kazi huwa uko na uwezo na tumekubaliana kwa sababu wakati mwengine pesa itachelewa atafute pesa…serikali ikitoa pesa anarudisha na kesi iko mahakamani wao watamaliza kesi yao kwa sababu ndio waliopelekana mahakamani," said Njeru.

Locals in Kitui and Makueni counties who have been eagerly awaiting the completion of the dam in order to benefit by accessing water, have decried that  they are losing hope with each passing day.