PM’s office wants new water board named

The PS in the office of the Prime Minister Dr Mohammed Isahakia told the Housing, Land and Natural Resources committee that public spats among the board members had greatly affected the corporation’s work. Photo/FILE 

By WALTER MENYA wmenya@ke.nationmedia.comPosted Sunday, March 6 2011 at 20:27

The Office of the Prime Minister has called for the disbandment of the National Water Conservation and Pipeline Corporation board and the appointment of a new one.

And there was need to review the country’s water laws, office of the PM’s permanent secretary Mohammed Isahakia told the parliamentary Committee on Housing, Land and Natural Resources.

The committee is investigating the September 2009 fire that reduced the administration offices of the NWCPC to ashes, and the controversial billion-shilling Umaa Dam that overshot the cost by Sh313 million from the initial Sh824 million. (Read: I am fighting graft, insists Ngilu)

The corporation’s board is deeply divided and has openly differed before the Rev Mutava Musyimi-led committee.

Board chairman Geoffrey Mang’uriu is pitted against 10 directors of the company, which is being investigated for irregularities, including the award of tenders for construction of dams.

On Sunday, Dr Isahakia told the committee that public spats among the board members had greatly affected the corporation’s work.

“If the chairman cannot work with the rest of the board members there is no need retaining them,” Dr Isahakia told the committee. “In my view, they should go.”

Dr Isahakia also denied that PM Raila Odinga’s public remarks that he would support water minister Charity Ngilu despite allegations of corruption had influenced investigations into NWCPC by the Efficiency Monitoring Unit, which is in the PM’s office.

Take action against minister

A member of the committee Silas Ruteere (Imenti North) had demanded to know from Dr Isakhakia whether the PM’s statement tied the PS’s hands from taking action on the minister over her alleged role in the loss of public funds in the ministry.

“The Prime Minister is a politician at the end of the day, so I cannot speak for him. Those political statements have not influenced the work of EMU or of the Directorate of State Corporations in the PM’s office,” he said.

On a day the police shocked the committee that they do not have a single suspect over the arson attack of the corporation two years ago, the Rev Musyimi commended Dr Isahakia, saying he had addressed the issues eloquently.

“We are very grateful for your time because really you have addressed the issues from a reform perspective,” the chairman said.

In his testimony, the PS said there was “real” need for the government to review the Water Act to seal all loopholes that corrupt officers exploit.