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dam-l turkwell gorge in Kenya/LS
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Biwott Attacked In Power Cuts Debate
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Story Filed: Thursday, June 08, 2000 12:01 PM EST
Nairobi (The Nation, June 8, 2000) - Debate on the power crisis was marked
by a stinging attack on Cabinet Minister Nicholas Biwott. It was claimed
international financiers pulled out of the Turkwell Gorge hydro-electric
power project because they believed the government had a hidden agenda,
where those involved were keen on receiving handouts.
The accusation was made by Opposition leader Mr. Mwai Kibaki in a
Parliamentary debate marked by acrimony.
Normal business had been adjourned so MPs could debate the crisis.
Kanu MP Mr. Simeon Nyachae told the House that a former Permanent Secretary
in the Treasury, Mr. Harry Mule, had resigned because of frustrations he
suffered at the hands of Cabinet Minister Nicholas Biwott and
Vice-President Prof George Saitoti.
Mr. Biwott promptly protested about the accusation, amid heckling and jeers
from the Opposition and Kanu back-benchers.
Mr. Biwott also angrily dismissed as "absolute lies" a claim by Kangema MP
John Michuki that he was fired from the Treasury as a PS because of the
controversial Turkwell hydroelectric power project.
Deputy Speaker Mr. Joab Omino had to keep intervening to bring order as
angry MPs shouted down Mr. Biwott, asking that he be thrown out for
continuously interrupting contributions by Mr. Nyachae and Opposition
leader Mr. Mwai Kibaki.
Mr. Nyachae was cautioned against discussing Mr. Biwott's role but he stood
his ground, saying: "I will substitute the names of Mr. Biwott and Mr.
Saitoti and say the PS resigned out of frustrations from the former
Minister for Energy and the former Finance Minister."
Mr. Biwott was annoyed by claims by Mr. Kibaki and Mr. Nyachae that the
power problems started about 10 years ago when negotiations between the
government and international financiers failed over the Turkwell project.
Mr. Kibaki, a former Finance Minister said they were ready to finance the
country's power programmes only to realise that the government had a hidden
agenda, where those involved in the project were keen on receiving handouts.
The donors pulled out on realising that the project was not viable and the
government insisted on the project going ahead, inflating the price four
times, Mr. Kibaki said.
An angry Mr. Biwott, who was then the Energy Minister, stood to accuse Mr.
Kibaki of misleading the House. He asked to be allowed to bring papers to
the House to prove Mr. Kibaki wrong.
However, his protests were drowned by shouts from the Opposition and Kanu
backbenchers who heckled and jeered him.
Mr. Kibaki said it was on record that the European Union had tried to
advise the government on the dams it should have constructed.
Copyright © 2000 The Nation. Distributed via Africa News Online.
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Lori Pottinger, Director, Southern Africa Program,
and Editor, World Rivers Review
International Rivers Network
1847 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, California 94703, USA
Tel. (510) 848 1155 Fax (510) 848 1008
http://www.irn.org
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