MPs Summon Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa Over Suspect Sh14 Billion Wayleave Payments at KETRACO
Kakamega – Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa is among former executives of the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (KETRACO) being sought by the National Assembly Public Accounts Committee to answer questions on irregular payments of approximately Sh14 billion in wayleave compensation.
According to a Nation Africa report (Daily Nation, Issue No. 22207), the committee wants Governor Barasa to respond to findings from a September 2025 forensic audit by the Auditor-General. The audit flagged massive irregularities in wayleave compensation for several donor-funded transmission projects.
Key audit findings include:
Lack of proper guidelines or procedures for land revaluation and compensation.
Inflated payments and overcompensation on some parcels of land.
Huge variances between original Resettlement Action Plans (RAP) and actual amounts paid (e.g., one project saw compensation balloon from Sh283 million to Sh2.2 billion).
Payments made without adequate documentation or proper approvals.
Overall, Sh12.99 billion was disbursed out of a budgeted Sh17.02 billion, with Sh4.03 billion still outstanding in some cases.
The issues span multiple projects and raised concerns about governance, value for money, and potential overpayments to affected landowners.
Note on other executives: The report mentions Barasa as one of the former KETRACO executives required to appear, but specific names of other individuals were not detailed in the Nation Africa article.
Questions on the ground:
What exactly went wrong with the Sh14 billion in wayleave compensation during Governor Barasa’s time at KETRACO?
Will he appear before the Public Accounts Committee and provide clear answers?
How do these national-level accountability issues affect public trust in county leadership?
Source: Nation Africa (Daily Nation), Issue No. 22207.
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