THE Government has released over half a billion shillings towards the rehabilitation of the road network in Bungoma County.

Trade Minister Moses Wetang’ula announced that already Ksh.250 million has been released for the rehabilitation of the expansive Bungoma-Kimilili-Kamukuywa highway whose work has already started.

The Minister said that the contractor is already on the ground and has so far completed 21 Kilometers of the bad section of the highway.

“We as local leaders had petitioned the president to address the poor road network in our county and we are happy that finally something is being done,” said Wetang’ula.

Speaking in Bungoma town, the Sirisia Mp added that other roads in the area that will be repaired include feeder roads especially those serving sugar cane growing areas to enable farmers to transport their crop with ease.

The Minister put on notice road contractors who end up doing shoddy work after winning lucrative tenders to construct roads in the county warning that their days are numbered.

He said that the newly-formed Bungoma County Roads Parliamentary Committee under the chairmanship of Bumula Mp Bifwoli Wakoli will be making impromptu visits to all roads under repair to ascertain the work being carried out.

The Minister said the committee will liase with the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KERRA) as well as the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) to have contractors doing shoddy work on roads to repeat the work before being paid their money.

“Some briefcase contractors have in the past been given tenders to do some sub-standard work here but I am happy that with the coming of KERRA and KURA, they have been blacklisted and we are satisfied with work being done so far,” said Wetang’ula.

In an interview with West Fm recently, local residents had complained about the poor state of the roads, a situation they said had hampered development in the county.

Among the roads whose works has attracted hue and cry from the residents due to their already poor state include the Sikata-Bokoli-Kimilili road as well as the Webuye-Bungoma-Malaba highway which is still under construction being carried out by H. Young Company.