EXPOSED: How City Hall is losing millions at Dandora dumpsite
City Hall could be losing millions of shillings due to the lack of a functional weighbridge at the Dandora dumpsite to measure waste deposited by contractors.
This follows a revelation that the weighbridge installed at the dumpsite in 2010 has not been operational since August, leading to the county not being able to measure waste deposited by contractors.
The contractors are paid depending on the weight of garbage they deposit at the dumpsite. A lack of a functioning weighbridge at the dumpsite opens the floodgates for manipulating of figures.
The damning revelation was made by Nairobi County Environment Executive Larry Wambua and his chief officer David Makori while appearing before the County Assembly Environment committee on Tuesday.
ESTIMATION METHOD
Mr Makori stated that the county has been relying on an estimation method to determine how much waste is deposited at the 32-acre dumpsite and how much to pay to contractors.
A total of nine contractors have been hired by City Hall to deliver waste at the dumpsite.
“We estimate how much a particular truck has delivered based on past quantities recorded at the weighbridge before it broke down. It is a scientific method that is next to reality,” said Mr Makori.
This follows queries by the committee on why the county continued operating with a faulty weighbridge despite City Hall purchasing a new one two years ago.
The committee observed that officers at the weighbridge intentionally chose not to replace the weighbridge with the new one so that through approximation they can be able to pay selective contractors more than they have delivered.
‘LOSING MONEY’
“The county is losing a lot of money through that estimation method because it provides ground for corruption. I think we are aware that the grounding of the weighbridge is by design because I don’t get how they insist relying on a dysfunctional one instead of installing the new one,” Minority Chief Whip and Makongeni MCA Peter Imwatok said.
However, Mr Makori explained that hitches in the procurement department had delayed the repairing of the weighbridge and that it broke down frequently due to old age.
On the newly purchased weighbridge, he admitted that it lied idle in a yard located on Nanyuki Road for two years since its procurement through Gokhan Technical Services.
He further explained that the new weighbridge needed a new ramp to be mounted on and the county had advertised for the procurement of the same.
“This is the second time now that we have advertised for the ramp but no one has expressed interest. Once procured we can now install the weighbridge,” said Makori.