Sixty-seven completed public housing homes in Beaufort are still waiting for occupants, years after they were supposed to be shelter for Sabah households.
The Auditor-General's Report 2/2026, as reported by Bernama and FMT, said the RM23.7 million PPR Kampung Selagon project was completed in 2017 but all its units remained unoccupied as of July 2026 because ground movement had damaged the homes. Thirteen units were badly damaged, while a RM2.72 million contract to demolish and rebuild eight units and repair five others was terminated on 11 March 2025 when physical progress stood at only 15%.
That is the clearest housing consequence in a wider audit finding on six development projects under the 12th Malaysia Plan. For residents, the issue is not an abstract delay chart. It is a row of homes that exists on paper and on the ground, but still cannot safely house anyone.
The same audit also flagged quarters projects that matter to public servants stationed in Sabah and Labuan. A RM100 million armed forces family housing project at Kukusan Camp in Tawau was due in July 2024, but had reached only 28% physical progress as of 31 December 2024 before its contract was terminated on 23 May 2025. FMT reported that JKR had prepared tender documents by 30 July 2026 to appoint a completion contractor, while the Economy Ministry approved an additional RM3.9 million allocation on 6 August 2026.
In Labuan, the RM63.25 million air force base family housing project has gone through four extensions of time totalling 467 days up to 2025, followed by two more extensions totalling 410 days in 2026. Its revised completion date is 17 November 2026. As of 30 July 2026, progress stood at 51% against a scheduled 54%, with delays attributed to labour shortages and raw materials that had to be sourced from outside Labuan.
The audit also found trouble at two fire and rescue quarters projects in Sabah. The RM14.39 million Semporna firefighters' quarters rebuild was terminated on 11 March 2025 after five extensions totalling 1,164 days, with only 25% progress and RM2.83 million spent. A retender was advertised in June 2026 and the project was at tender evaluation stage. The RM6.85 million Merotai fire and rescue station and quarters project was terminated on 5 November 2025 despite being 96.6% complete, after seven extensions totalling 1,075 days.
For Sabah, this is the uncomfortable part: several of the affected projects are not prestige builds in places where alternatives are easy. They are homes, quarters and station facilities in districts where delays can decide whether workers and families get a proper place to live near where they serve.
