October 21, 2014 - Today's News In Gazetikenya

Completion Date December 2014

Leaders allege raw deal in road projects

INFRASTRUCTURE | New financing model to speed up construction

The government’s plan to construct 2,000 kilometres of roads by 2016, has been marred by claims that some parts of the country are getting a raw deal. Yesterday, leaders from northern Kenya claimed that the distribution of roads “marginalises” their areas despite the fact that they have the least tarmacked roads. “What we witness in this distribution is a clear testimony to the continued marginalisation of the people who have never stopped supporting the government of the day,” Wajir South MP Abdullahi Diriye told the Nation yesterday.

“The government should use roads to bring marginalised regions on a par with the rest of the country. Mandera and Wajir have never had tarmac roads since independence and we would have expected better consideration.” Mr Diriye said he was speaking for other leaders such Wajir Senator Abdirahman Ali Hassan, Wajir West MP Abdullahi Ore and his Mandera North counterpart, Mr Adam Mohamed Noor. “For any meaningful development to be achieved, areas such as those in northern Kenya must be opened up so as to access markets, service provision, improved living standards, and above all, help them integrate with the rest of the country,” he added.

But the government was quick to dispel the fears. Infrastructure Principle Secretary John Musonik told the Nation that it was wrong for the leaders to claim they are marginalised. “The roads programme for the next five years is 10,000 kilometres. But people tend to make a mistake by judging it by looking at the first phase of 2,000,” he said. “We have only looked at 2,000km. In December, we are starting another one for 3,000km.

Every county will benefit from this programme.” The government plans to construct more than 1,900 kilometres of roads in the rural areas by 2016. A list published by the Ministry of Roads and Infrastructure shows that the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA) will take the largest chunk of the 3,000 kilometres of roads planned for construction in the next two years. KeRRA, normally responsible for the supervision of construction and maintenance of rural roads, will oversee 25 lots allocated to the construction of roads in the counties, away from urban areas. The other state agency, the Kenya Urban Roads Authority, will handle 364 kilometres of new roads set to be built in towns across the 47 counties.

The 14-page list, which contains 45 road lots, indicates that there will be 724 new kilometres of highways to be put up by 2016 under the supervision of the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) These roads are part of the model of financing projects that government officials say is meant to make road constructions faster and uninterrupted. Launched earlier this year, the Annuity Financing Framework allows contractors to take on road construction agreements, but have to look for ways of financing the projects and be recompensed when they complete the work. Each of the 45 road lots has been allowed a maximum cash flow of 10 per cent of the total cost of the particular road project, meaning the government will be paying the contractors in bits, at set periods. It is a departure from tradition where contractors have even been paid before the work is done.

Gazeti Kenya

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