Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga has termed media reports on alleged demolition of a factory to put up County Headquarters as misleading.
The reaction comes after a local media reported that the Governor had demolished Sh100 million structure meant for the construction of the Animal Feeds Factory in Arujo to pave way for the construction of county headquarters.
In her response, Governor Wanga noted that the project situated in Arujo Ward, within Homa Bay Town Sub County was initiated in 2014 but stalled for long due to not meeting mandatory construction standards.
In a statement signed by County Government Spokesperson and Communication Chief Officer Atieno Otieno, she noted that the project was halted after the structure was condemned, before the project was later decommissioned.
Condemned buildings
The statement clarified that records obtained by Governor Wanga’s administration indicated that the animal feed project did not receive the requisite approvals from agencies such as the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), Kenya Airports Authority (KAA), and Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) due to its close proximity of about 300 meters to the Kabunde airstrip and thus on the flight path.
“Animal feeds manufacturing was incompatible with the flight path and a risk of bird strikes, the area has been since replanned under the Physical Planning Act,” read a statement signed
According to Wanga, the project and its unfinished structure became a “ghost project,” and the building deteriorated over the years.
Nothing is lost
But even with these gaps, Wanga noted that she did not do away with the project completely, but moved it to the County Aggregation and Industrial Park at Riwa Special Economic Zone.
“Under Governor Wanga’s leadership, projects left unfinished by previous administration such as this one continue to be repurposed or completed to maximize public funds’ value,” read the statement.
It went on: “Governor Wanga’s administration has therefore redesigned and repurposed the existing buildings to serve as a Huduma Centre for service delivery as part of the County Headquarter. All the necessary approvals have been obtained including from the National Land Commission (NLC) and NEMA for the development of the County Headquarters, including the repurposed Huduma Centre.”
“We would like to urge the media to strive to report objectively and seek all sides of the story before publishing. If our input had been sought, this additional information would have been readily available,” read the statement.
The statement assured Homa Bay residents of the county government’s commitment to responsible, accountable and transparent development in the county.
“Projects left unfinished by previous administration such as this one continue to be repurposed or completed to maximize public funds’ value,”
I appreciate that statement by leader Wanga. Kudos to her