According to the CS, the biggest challenge is that the contractor was identified by the Italian government, which is also the financier of the project and the government could not get a different company because the funding is a conditional grant.

He said the finance agreement between the two governments was not favourable and called for a review and a fresh advertisement after the contract expired.

“It was not possible to get another contractor then because the project was a conditional grant from Italy, and the contract awarded to the contractor by the financier expired. We were reduced to regular pleading and making follow-up on when it would start,” said Mr Chelugui.

“When I was in the Ministry of Water, we sat with the Italian corporation in 2018 after the expiry of the contract and they advised us to make a fresh application of a first extension of the contract, which we did. Eight months later, they replied, indicating that the same contractor will continue with the project,” he added.

The contractor came back, did some leveling on the site where the sewage and waste management system was supposed to be constructed and left.

The multi-billion-shilling project, which involved extension of water supply to Kabartonjo, Kiboino, Kapkut, Kituro, Kabasis and Kaptorokwo, was expected to ease perennial water shortage in Baringo Central and Baringo North sub-counties.

The design also included the construction of a sewage and waste management system in Kabarnet town at a cost of Sh700 million.