NAIROBI, Kenya – Parliament has opened an inquiry into the construction of the Kasarani International Sports Academy following concerns over a sharp increase in project costs and potential taxpayer losses.
The National Assembly’s Public Investment, Administration, and Agriculture Committee, led by Navakholo MP Emmanuel Wangwe, has initiated the probe after it emerged that the contract cost had ballooned from the original Sh859.8 million to Sh1.03 billion.
The committee is investigating the unexplained variations and whether they were justified.
“We are not satisfied with the explanations given so far regarding the cost increase,” Wangwe said. “We are converting this discussion into a full inquiry to uncover the true cost of the project. All parties involved will be called to testify.”
The project, intended to develop a state-of-the-art sports academy, was flagged by Auditor General Nancy Gathungu in her 2018-19 report.
Gathungu highlighted payments totaling Sh1.03 billion, which exceeded the agreed contract sum by Sh176.6 million, raising concerns about possible overpayments.
The Auditor General’s report questioned how payments were made despite the project being only 90 percent complete by June 2019.
“The validity of the contract variation could not be confirmed,” Gathungu stated, further deepening the concerns surrounding the management of the project.
The original scope of the project included the construction of a two-floor hostel, two football pitches, two basketball courts, a rugby pitch, and a borehole.
Initially managed by the Sports Stadia Management Board—now Sports Kenya—the project was later transferred to the Kenya Academy of Sports (KAS).
Appearing before the Wangwe-led committee, KAS CEO Doreen Odhiambo admitted that her efforts to obtain key documents from Sports Kenya had been unsuccessful.
The documents, including the bills of quantities (BQ), are crucial to understanding the basis for the cost variations.
“We must treat this organization as hostile,” Suna West MP Peter Masara remarked during the session. “You can’t vary the cost of a project without the BQ. What is the basis for the variation?”
Odhiambo conceded that payments had been made without proper documentation.
She explained that the initial stages of the project involved private consultants hired by the Sports Stadia Management Board to handle architectural designs and bills of quantities, a move the committee labeled as irregular.
The inquiry seeks to uncover whether the significant cost increase was justified or if public funds were mismanaged.
The National Assembly’s Public Investment, Administration, and Agriculture Committee, led by Navakholo MP Emmanuel Wangwe, has initiated the probe after it emerged that the contract cost had ballooned from the original Sh859.8 million to Sh1.03 billion.
The committee is investigating the unexplained variations and whether they were justified.
“We are not satisfied with the explanations given so far regarding the cost increase,” Wangwe said. “We are converting this discussion into a full inquiry to uncover the true cost of the project. All parties involved will be called to testify.”
The project, intended to develop a state-of-the-art sports academy, was flagged by Auditor General Nancy Gathungu in her 2018-19 report.
Gathungu highlighted payments totaling Sh1.03 billion, which exceeded the agreed contract sum by Sh176.6 million, raising concerns about possible overpayments.
The Auditor General’s report questioned how payments were made despite the project being only 90 percent complete by June 2019.
“The validity of the contract variation could not be confirmed,” Gathungu stated, further deepening the concerns surrounding the management of the project.
The original scope of the project included the construction of a two-floor hostel, two football pitches, two basketball courts, a rugby pitch, and a borehole.
Initially managed by the Sports Stadia Management Board—now Sports Kenya—the project was later transferred to the Kenya Academy of Sports (KAS).
Appearing before the Wangwe-led committee, KAS CEO Doreen Odhiambo admitted that her efforts to obtain key documents from Sports Kenya had been unsuccessful.
The documents, including the bills of quantities (BQ), are crucial to understanding the basis for the cost variations.
“We must treat this organization as hostile,” Suna West MP Peter Masara remarked during the session. “You can’t vary the cost of a project without the BQ. What is the basis for the variation?”
Odhiambo conceded that payments had been made without proper documentation.
She explained that the initial stages of the project involved private consultants hired by the Sports Stadia Management Board to handle architectural designs and bills of quantities, a move the committee labeled as irregular.
The inquiry seeks to uncover whether the significant cost increase was justified or if public funds were mismanaged.
