A report tabled in the National Assembly has shown a security wall project along the Kenya-Somali border has cost the state Ksh3.3 billion for a 10km stretch.
The project, initiated in 2015, was undertaken by the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National government in a bid to keep out Al Shabaab militants.
“Before handing over of the project to the Ministry of Defence, the ministry had expended a total of Ksh3,380,353,960.52 as tabulated below,” the report read in part.
The Standard quoted that the State was charged Ksh300 million per kilometre of the security wall comprised of chain link, razor barbed wire and concrete poles.
According to the report, Ksh1.5 billion was reallocated to the ministry of Defence after the transfer of the project.
The report was tabled by the House committee on Defence and Foreign Relations chaired by Katoo Ole Metito (Kajiado South).
On Wednesday, legislators remarked the wall is not a viable project and called for investigations into how the cash was spent.
Led by majority leader Aden Duale, they asked Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to probe the expenditure.
“The chair of the committee must bring a recommendation to this report to say that there is no value for money and that Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and DCI must investigate,” Duale stated.
“Kenya should not be funding the construction of such a wall but investing in intelligence-gathering technology to limit attacks caused by Al-Shabaab,” Minority leader John Mbadi mentioned.
