"Account for Funds Allocated to Water Projects," Susan Ngugi Challenges County Government

Tharaka-Nithi County Woman Representative Susan Ngugi has criticized the County Government for what she termed as lack of accountability and transparency in the management of funds meant to support water projects.

Addressing members of the Kajuki-Kamutiria Water Project in Kajuki on Sunday, Ngugi stated that millions of taxpayers' money allocated to water projects could not be accounted for, questioning how the funds had been utilized, given the absence of visible projects in the county.

"How are the funds budgeted for water projects under the Department of Water being utilized in Tharaka-Nithi County? We can't see any water projects by the county government, yet it receives billions in allocations,"she said.

The legislator noted that residents had taken it upon themselves to launch, fund, and commission water projects independently to ensure their access to water. She emphasized that the availability of water would alleviate the hardships faced by many hardworking residents who must travel long distances in search of it.

According to her, the county assembly allocated funds for water drilling machines in 2019 to support borehole drilling in areas affected by water shortages. However, she pointed out that there was little to show for it, aside from a few boreholes drilled at the time.

"Where did the machines go? Those machines should also be accounted for. Let us be told where they went. People are suffering, yet millions of shillings were spent on purchasing the equipment. Let us be told how many boreholes were drilled per ward. If the machines were sold, they should inform us,"she said.

"The county government should have projects to show for the budgetary allocations made to the Department of Water. Show us what you have done with that money,"she added.

Ngugi made the remarks while donating six pipes to the Kajuki-Kamutiria Water Project following the destruction of their pipes at the water intake.