NSSF to renegotiate Tassia deal with Jianxi
The social security agency will renegotiate with the firm that was to start work on construction of infrastructure on the controversial Tassia II project.
Acting Managing Trustee Richard Lang’at told the Public Investments Committee (PIC) that the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) would, by the end of next week, start talking to plot owners to begin collecting money to fund construction of roads, water and sewerage services in the estate.
Among those required to contribute is ODM Nominated MP Dr Oburu Oginga who informed his colleagues in the PIC that he owned a plot in Tassia.
Mr Lang’at said NSSF board met on March 10 and gave the management the greenlight to restart the job awarded to China Jiangxi but suspended it after questions were raised.
He said they had resolved to have work start only after the 5,500 plot owners had contributed Sh920,000 each needed to raise the Sh5 billion required.
“We’ll engage the firm and see how best we can restart the contract to take cognisance of the fact that we are yet to collect the money,” said Mr Lang’at.
Mr Lang’at was speaking after Labour Cabinet Secretary Kazungu Kambi told the MPs that he had stepped back after realising he did not have the power to suspend the project.
Mr Kambi said the project was suspended because of the investigations by PIC, the Labour and Social Welfare Committee and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Committee.
PIC members led by vice chairman Kimani Ichung’wa argued that without the money collected from plot owners, NSSF broke the law by signing the contract with China Jiangxi when it did not have money for the job.