Frankie hits Cepep $600M bill

“My major concern at this time with Cepep is the lack of productivity and value for money. There are currently 265 contractors, some 12,000 employees and a monthly payroll of $50 million. Yet the whole country is ‘in bush’,” Khan said. He vowed to hold the Cepep Board and management responsible for such production and performance.

He recalled that Cepep was first set up as an entrepreneurial incubator to train unemployed people in basic skill sets to then be able to form small companies to service their communities environmentally. “In looking forward, we must look back to original intent. We must remember the real reason for the creation of Cepep. The programme has been criticised for all kinds of things, including painting stones all over the country, but at the heart of the matter Cepep was meant to bring communities together and make communities a cleaner, brighter and safer place to live.”

He recalled Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley in August saying Cepep will be moved into his (Khan’s) ministry from the Ministry of Public Utilities. “Under the current Local Government portfolio of the ministry, the Cepep contractors will provide services that complement, rather than duplicate, the work already carried out by the 14 municipal corporations.” He saw devolution of power to corporations (by local government reform) as ensuring that Cepep contractors work so as to allow the gainful employment of workers to provide services that are truly needed in the different geographical areas, and to do more for rural development.