Mohamed Shurie has been dragged to court over alleged accountability gaps in the Ksh 17 billion Horn of Africa Groundwater Project following a petition filed at the High Court in Nairobi by public-interest activist Francis Awino.
Justice Nyaudi Patricia Mande directed petitioner Francis Awino to serve the court papers upon all respondents and interested parties by November 5, 2026.
Under the directions issued on October 29, the respondents must file their replies within 14 days of service, setting a deadline of November 20, 2026.
Awino moved to court, citing concerns over procurement integrity, fund distribution, and actual infrastructure delivery across five northern Kenya counties: Turkana, Marsabit, Mandera, Wajir, and Garissa.
The US$135 million initiative, funded through World Bank credit facilities and state water agencies, was designed to mitigate persistent drought by developing sustainable underground water networks.
Court filings detail requests for comprehensive documentation, including approved budgets, tendering records, payment vouchers, and location coordinates for completed exploratory boreholes and monitoring wells. Awino contends that the public investment requires strict accounting to ensure expenditure matches infrastructure on the ground.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Auditor-General are joined in the suit as interested parties. Awino is pressing for an order directing an independent audit of the procurement pipeline and the preservation of all project records.
The matter will be mentioned on February 10, 2027, to confirm compliance with service directions and to schedule further proceedings. The court has not made any finding on the merits of the allegations.
