Fresh questions are being raised over the implementation of classroom construction projects under the Tongaren National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) after residents alleged that several projects listed as completed either do not exist or remain incomplete on the ground.

The concerns centre on documents circulating within the constituency that appear to list dozens of classroom projects across various primary and junior secondary schools.

According to the documents, the construction and equipping of a 45-seater classroom with modern chairs and desks is budgeted at approximately KSh1.76 million per classroom. Across the listed projects, residents estimate that at least 24 classrooms account for more than KSh42 million in public funds.

The allegations have now placed the spotlight on the management of the Tongaren NG-CDF, whose projects are implemented under the leadership of the area's Member of Parliament, John Chikati, who chairs the Constituency NG-CDF Committee.

While the MP does not personally execute construction works, the constituency fund operates under his oversight together with the local NG-CDF Committee, making the office accountable for ensuring projects are implemented as approved.

The National Government Constituencies Development Fund Board (NG-CDF Board), headed by its Chief Executive Officer, is mandated to supervise the utilization of constituency funds, while overall policy oversight falls under the State Department for Economic Planning in the National Treasury and Economic Planning.

Any allegations of misappropriation of public funds may also attract the attention of oversight agencies including the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, the Office of the Auditor-General and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations where appropriate.

The documents shared with this publication appear to list numerous classroom projects marked as "New", each costing about KSh1,766,436, covering schools across the constituency. However, residents claim that several of the classrooms reflected in the records have either not been constructed or remain incomplete despite being presented as finished projects. These allegations have not been independently verified.

If the claims are accurate, they would raise serious questions about project verification, value for money and whether public funds allocated for education infrastructure reached their intended beneficiaries. Constituency development projects are expected to undergo inspection and verification before payments are finalized and before they are reported as complete.

Below is the complaint received from a resident.

Hello Cyprian. Kindly hide my identity.

My area MP, Tongaren Constituency, is looting our constituency.

Imagine one classroom being built at a cost of KSh1.7 million.

We see on the list 24 classrooms costing about KSh42.4 million, yet in some of the listed schools, those classrooms have not even been built.

However, the records indicate that the classrooms are complete.