Raila Odinga now gives Galana project clean bill of health
ODM leader Raila Odinga Thursday toured the Sh7 billion Galana Kulalu project in Kilifi and Tana River counties and gave the project a clean bill health amid allegations of misappropriation of funds.
The opposition leader said the project is not a white elephant as purported.
“We have come here to witness for ourselves, we were hearing reports that funds for the project have been embezzled but we have witnessed something good,” he said.
The National Irrigation Board (NIB) and Green Arava, an Israel company contracted to put 10,000 acres under irrigation, have been at loggerheads with NIB saying the project stalled after the contractor moved his equipment.
However, Green Arava chairman Yavir Kedar refuted the allegations saying they were still on the ground and enjoy support of the Israel government.
“We never left and we are still on the ground implementing the project, we have already spent Sh5.2 billion on the project,” Mr Kedar said.
Mr Odinga was accompanied by Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi, his Tana River counterpart Dhadho Godhana and NIB chairman Joshua Toro.