County calls on public to disregard Khakwale remarks on B*kh**gu
The county government of Kakamega has asked the public to disregard statements made by area Senator Boni Khalwale that construction of Bukhungu Stadium had stalled.
County Secretary and Head of Public Service Dr Lawrence Omuhaka instead termed Khalwale’s claims as false, adding that he lacked facts on the correct status regarding the construction of the stadium.
In a statement, Omuhaka said works on the facility was going on assuring the public that Governor Fernandes Barasa’s administration was committed to completing it on time.
“Construction works are going on though at a slow pace due to non-remittance of funds from the National Government,” said Omuhaka in a statement.
The County Government, Omuhaka stated, is yet to receive it’s Equitable Shareable Revenue for the months of March and April, challenging Khalwale to push for the release of the funds in the Senate.
He took issue with Khalwale’s statement that the stadium’s account had Sh200 million inherited from the previous administration, describing it as false and ill-intended to mislead the public.
Omuhaka explained that the flagship project involved several stakeholders, the National Government included, noting that it is being constructed as per the County Intergraded Development Plan (CIDP), Annual Development Plan (ADP) and other private-public partnership development plans.
The County Secretary’s reaction followed statements made by Khalwale on Friday when he made an impromptu visit to the stadium to check on construction works.
But Omuhaka stated that whereas Khalwale was constitutionally mandated to oversight the County Government, it could have been courteous of the Senator to inform the administration of his intended visit for seamless and productive engagements.
“Surprisingly, the Senator walked into the stadium accompanied by his cameraman and office staff, only to leave without talking to government officials who were present,” said Omuhaka.
He revealed that the current administration had so far cleared over Sh200 million pending bills inherited on the project and still making progress towards the completion of the stadium.
The County Government, he said, is willing to share the correct status regarding construction works at the stadium saying the project will benefit locals and the country at large once finished.
