Lead image for Controversial Sh740m Turkana headquarters still unused a year after handover.
A Sh740 million county headquarters that took more than 11 years to complete and required Senate intervention to cross the finish line remains largely unused, a year after it was officially handed over to the Turkana County Government.
The four-storey complex in Lodwar, one of the county government’s flagship projects, was handed over by the contractor, Landmark Holdings Limited, on July 28, 2025, following intervention by the Senate Standing Committee on Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations to address prolonged construction delays.
Yet, Governor Jeremiah Lomorukai and key county departments are yet to move into the building, raising fresh questions about the utilisation of a major public investment that has consumed at least Sh740.7 million in public funds.
Construction of what is now one of the tallest buildings in Lodwar began in 2015 during the administration of Turkana’s pioneer governor, Josphat Nanok. Its prolonged construction became a recurring subject of public criticism and parliamentary scrutiny.
The project’s history was further complicated by variations that pushed the contract value from an initial Sh695 million to almost Sh1.199 billion.
Unlike the governor’s official residence, which Landmark Holdings Limited, acting as the second contractor, handed back to the county unfinished after payment delays, the county headquarters was eventually handed over as a completed project.
Its completion followed sustained pressure from the Senate committee, which had inspected stalled projects in Turkana and raised concerns over the prolonged construction period and underutilisation of county infrastructure.
The county administration and Landmark Holdings subsequently appeared before the committee on May 26, 2025, where the contractor was pressed to explain why the multimillion-shilling headquarters had not been handed over.