As of 2019, the Auditor-General’s office remains unable to determine financial discrepancies linked to the Kimwarer and Arror dam projects, according to an official involved in the investigation. Evans Kaleka, a senior auditor overseeing the North Rift region, informed a parliamentary committee that the Kerio Valley Development Authority (KVDA) had not responded to a management letter issued regarding the Sh21 billion initiatives in Elgeyo-Marakwet.
The management letter, a standard audit procedure, was sent to KVDA following concerns about the involvement of Italian firms CMC Di Ravenna and Itenera in the dam construction. Kaleka revealed that Treasury secretary Henry Rotich has faced repeated inquiries about advance payments for the projects, though officials assert the disbursements adhered to legal protocols.
Kaleka clarified that KVDA was not a party to the 2017 contract between the Italian companies and the Treasury, which sparked corruption allegations. He noted the dams’ concept originated in 1986 but remained unrealized until government funding enabled the 2017 agreements. The ongoing audit of KVDA’s 2017/18 financial records aims to clarify the projects’ status, though no conclusions have been reached as of 2019.
