Parliament, TSC, Education and Roads departments faulted for delayed billion-shilling projects

Parliament, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), and the state departments for Basic Education, Higher Education, and Roads have come under scrutiny for delaying multibillion-shilling projects, some spanning years, despite receiving significant public funding.

The Controller of Budget (CoB) has criticised the slow pace of implementation, warning that critical services risk being undermined due to prolonged project timelines and cost overruns.

In her latest National Government Budget Implementation Review Report for the third quarter of the 2024/25 financial year, Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang’o revealed that some projects had recorded completion rates as low as 10 per cent and had dragged on for over five years.

The review covers the period between July 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025.

“Reviews of MDAs’ projects’ performance indicated general delays in project implementation, which affected the projects’ completion rates,” reads the report.

Nyakang’o urged the ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) involved to accelerate the completion of all ongoing projects. She called for a freeze on new projects, saying the current delays were a threat to the delivery of essential government services.

“MDAs should prioritise the implementation of ongoing projects by freezing the commencement of new projects and taking necessary measures to address project challenges, with a view to fast-tracking the completion of all the affected multi-year projects,” the report recommends.

The Controller of Budget expressed concern that all projects under the Parliamentary Joint Services (PJS) were running behind schedule. Among them is the construction of the multi-storey office block (Bunge Tower), which has so far consumed Sh7.6 billion out of the total estimated cost of Sh9.2 billion but remains incomplete at 98 per cent.

The installation of an integrated security system by Parliament is also delayed, having consumed Sh1.7 billion of the projected Sh2.5 billion and stands at just 68 per cent complete.

The report further flagged the purchase and development of land for the Centre for Parliamentary Studies and Training (CPST), which is only 17 per cent complete despite having already consumed Sh712.81 million of the Sh4.2 billion allocated.

Surpassed original cost estimate

Meanwhile, the refurbishment of various parliamentary buildings has surpassed its original cost estimate by Sh12.76 million, growing from Sh260.77 million to Sh273.53 million, with the project now at 87 per cent completion.

The purchase of buildings by the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC), initially projected to cost Sh300 million, has also escalated sharply to Sh7.08 billion.

In the education sector, Nyakang'o raised concerns over the slow pace in the construction of junior secondary classrooms and integrated resource centres being implemented by the State Department for Basic Education. The programme, which began in July 2021, has so far consumed Sh6.4 billion out of the Sh30 billion budget but is only 21 per cent complete, with the target completion date set for June 30, 2026.

The Secondary Infrastructure Project in North Nyamira and Borabu is among those singled out for lagging progress. Launched in July 2015 at an estimated cost of Sh2.18 billion, the project is only 19 per cent complete, with a projected end date of December 1, 2026.

Also highlighted is the construction of Mitihani House, which began in 1985 and has taken Sh2.8 billion so far out of an estimated Sh4.67 billion. The project is just 60 per cent complete. The Kenya Primary Equity in Learning programme has used up Sh25 billion of its Sh45.3 billion budget and is at 55 per cent completion.

Meanwhile, the Secondary Infrastructure Improvement II and the Smart Access Programme for Primary Schools in ASAL counties, both set to begin in 2024, are yet to commence despite allocations of Sh337.5 million and Sh450 million respectively.

The construction of Primary Infrastructure Improvement II, which started in 2010, has already consumed Sh3 billion, surpassing its estimated cost of Sh2.2 billion, but is only 25 per cent complete.

Nyakang'o also flagged other delayed initiatives, including the construction of primary teachers' training colleges that began in 2011 and are 45 per cent complete after consuming Sh1.12 billion out of the projected Sh2.5 billion.

The Assembly of Assistive Devices project under the Kenya Institute of Special Education (KISE), which began in 2024, is only 35 per cent complete, with Sh350 million spent so far out of Sh1 billion. Additionally, the Moiben Science Diploma Teachers Training College, which started in 2014, has used up Sh297 million of its Sh894 million budget and is 33 per cent complete.

Nyakang’o urged the relevant institutions to take immediate steps to resolve implementation challenges and ensure that delayed projects are completed on time, warning that continued inefficiencies could erode the quality of public service delivery and undermine development goals.