By Akanimo Sampson
The National Youth Service (NYS) is undertaking the construction of $3.2 million Wote Stadium in Makueni County, Kenya.
NYS is the pride and backbone of Kenya whose focus has been to help the youth discover and develop their potential since 1964. It was restructured by President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2014 into a premier agency through which government executes an elaborate and comprehensive youth empowerment master plan known as The 5-Point Vision.
This is however, after the government terminated the agreement it had with Nitram and Traphes Enterprise Limited to implement the project, citing incompetence in the implementation of the project.
According to Sports, Culture and Heritage Cabinet Secretary, Amina Mohammed, the government had the contractor on notice over incompetence.
“We do not believe that the contractor has the capacity to deliver this project. We have followed the right procedure to terminate the project”, she said.
Construction of the stadium stalled shortly after its commissioning in 2017, mainly due to lack of funds but the Sports CS revived it seven months ago.
Nitram and Traphes Enterprise Limited had already done part of the perimeter wall, part of the tracks and part of the arena.
He had not started with the pavilion citing a change of the design of the component. The work done was estimated at 35%.
The contractor, however, protested the termination of the contract and blamed the delay on Sports Kenya. Mark Muendo, a Nitram and Traphes Enterprise Limited Director, blamed the project consultant for delays in approving changes in the design of the pavilion.
He also accused Sports Kenya of delaying approval of funds requested.
The CS however, dismissed Muendo’s reasons as lame excuses and maintained that the government had played all its roles in facilitating the contractor to complete the project.
”If anything, the project was scheduled to be completed in 2018. We have already paid the contractor $13million, he should refund the excess money”, she said.
