North Alego residents have claimed that county government of Siaya has given them a raw deal on flagship projects since 2013.
The residents said North Alego has been forgotten in the lists of the flagship projects and they wonder why such deliberate sidelining has occurred.
“We want to plead with the executive/Governor Orengo’s administration to consider allocating executive projects in this ward,” said Chief Dickson Osogo.
They had proposed a land that was to host the residences of the Governor, Speaker and Deputy Governor but if failed to go through.
“We are also part of Siaya; we should be considered in this year’s budget,” said Osogo.
The residents spoke during the public participation on County Annual Development Plan 2025/6.
The meeting that attracted majority of retired men and women with expertise from various development fields called for adoption of CDF concept in implementing projects.
The concept allows every project that is started is followed up to completion for North Alego residents to benefit.
Chief Osogo noted that in the past regimes, projects prioritized had been small ones that end up being done as per the Bill of Quantities and not completed.
He regretted that the un-completed projects end up being certified and approved for payment by the Project management Committee.
They expressed concern over incomplete small projects that have engulfed the Wards and are of the opinion that projects earmarked for implementations should be few but impactful.
George Mlanya noted the smaller projects that were consuming KES 2-2.5 Million were roads and again could not be done to completion.
“Why invest little resources on many projects Ward-wide that cannot be done fully, what’s the essence of doing it? Projects like Nyalgunga market is said to be complete yet if it rains nobody can sell in the market.”
Lilian Akoth, a community health promoter, noted that constructors were only doing roads in the Ward to an extent that if they prioritize water, electric power, and laboratory construction at Obare Ogunga the proposals do not sail through.
“No budget is on health, and agriculture. In the area, we have an allocation of only KES 2 million for restocking fingerlings into Uranga Dam.”
She wants an explanation as to why 90 percent of projects prioritized for implementations for 2024/2025 are from a single sub location (Gombe Komolo).
“Though it’s densely populated and it’s the largest but it shouldn’t own many projects in this financial year,” said Akoth.
The residents want the administration to review the PMC Act to detach PMC from relying on contractors for their stipends.
The Budget expert Kevin Owira admitted that for the past year, it’s Gombe Komolo that has dominated projects adding that can change if a ward planning committee is put in place to follow up prioritized projects up to the assembly level.
Owira said it is the ward committees that will sit down with lists of projects identified in the sub-location and harmonize it to a Ward list.
“I was equally shocked that there are no health projects prioritized so in February when prioritizing projects in the budget we will use the committee as the structure to land on Ward projects.”
Owira also said inadequate funds, supplementary budget are key factors that pose challenges on project implementation.
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