This archive report was first published on 26 July 2019.
On July 26, 2019, the push to have the Lake Basin Mall in Kisumu handed over to the Lake Basin Development Authority (LBDA) took a new turn after a Senate committee summoned East African Community and Regional Development Cabinet Secretary Adan Mohamed to explain the delay.
Mr. Adan is expected to appear before the Senate Committee on Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations on July 30 to apprise the committee on the circumstances that have made it difficult to pass on the ownership of the mall to LBDA.
He will also be required to comment on the Auditor-General's report that found the mall was value for money despite some procurement issues.
The LBDA management, led by CEO Raymond Omollo, have also been summoned by the committee and will appear on July 31.
The matter has taken a new urgency as local leaders push for the handover of the mall to LBDA after it emerged that the expansive 60,000 square meter mall has attracted just a few tenants due to ongoing investigations and a dispute between the contractor, Erdemann Property Ltd, and the government over Sh645 million.
Despite a number of government ministries and agencies giving the mall a clean bill of health, prospective tenants have kept off due to uncertainty surrounding the mall's ownership and the financial issues between the contractor and the government.
