Judiciary sets up building unit amid failed deals

Politics and policy

Chief Justice Willy Mutunga at a past event. PHOTO | FILE  

By GEORGE OMONDI, omondi@ke.nationmedia.com

In Summary

• The special unit, to be based in Nairobi, will be headed by a chief architect who will supervise the construction and repair of court buildings countrywide.
• Lack of in-house building professionals has in the past forced the Judiciary to turn to private consultants for supervision of construction works.
• The Treasury allocates millions of shillings each year for construction, repair and renting buildings by the Judiciary.

The Willy Mutunga-led Judiciary is setting up an construction unit to manage its assets in the wake of a recent loss of millions of shillings through questionable property deals.

The special unit, to be based in Nairobi, will be headed by a chief architect who will supervise the construction and repair of court buildings countrywide.

The decision to recruit building professionals comes in the wake of a damaging audit report indicating that the Judiciary lost Sh645 million in suspect deals with independent consultants in just one fiscal year between 2012 and 2013.

The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) on Friday advertised the new positions, kicking off the hiring process that is expected to recruit 11 specialists – valuers, architects, engineers, electricians and surveyors – by the end of this month.

The JSC said four other specialists, hired as superintendent of works, will also be posted in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu and Nakuru to ensure projects in the regions meet quality and time specifications.

“Successful candidates will be on a two-year contract renewable subject to satisfactory performance,” the JSC said in the Friday advertisement.

The Treasury allocates millions of shillings each year for construction, repair and renting buildings by the Judiciary.

Lack of in-house building professionals has in the past forced the Judiciary to turn to private consultants for supervision of construction works.

The audit report was commissioned after former chief registrar Gladys Shollei went public in her fight with her former employer, the JSC, which had suspended and eventually dismissed her from the powerful post.

Among the questionable contracts was one in which the Judiciary signed a consultancy deal with JKUAT Enterprise to provide services like architectural drawings, project supervision and bills of quantities at a fixed commission of 10 per cent of project value.

READ: Mutunga asked to resign over Judiciary deals worth Sh645m

The consultant was hired to advise and supervise the construction of prefabricated court houses in Othaya, Marimanti, Wang’uru, Tawa, Garsen, Bomet and Mavoko initially valued at Sh955 million.

Auditor-General Edward Ouko said in a special report that the value of the prefabricated court houses was later revised downwards to Sh626.5 million, but JKUAT Enterprise still earned Sh95 million as commission instead of Sh62.5 million.

The same firm was also involved in the purchase of a residential house for the Chief Justice, which remains unoccupied even after the Judiciary paid Sh310 million to the owner.

Mr Ouko observed that the final purchase price for the property overshot the original budget of Sh200 million by one-third and that the Judiciary paid the money without receiving documents of title from the seller.