This archive report was first published on 22 November 2019.
On November 22, 2019, a Senate committee took Trans Nzoia Governor Patrick Khaemba to task over the construction of a Sh1.4 billion hospital in the county.
The County Public Accounts and Investment Committee's (CPAIC) interest in the hospital was piqued after the Auditor General flagged the project in the 2017-18 audit report.
CPAIC chairman Moses Kajwang' asked, 'Why did the county go for direct procurement for a project of such magnitude? Couldn't the county have gotten better rates outside there?'
Khaemba explained that his administration had gotten the go-ahead from the Public Procurement Oversight Authority (PPOA) and that the contractor agreed to give them better 2015 rates, which was favourable to them.
The governor was also grilled on why a consultant was hired to supervise the project instead of using personnel from the county government and State Department of Roads and Public Works, as provided for in the law.
The committee demanded to see all documents related to the hospital's construction, including detailed specifications of the hospital and the contract agreements.
