The national government withdrew one hundred million shillings allocated to Musikoma-Buyofu road project and directed to other functions leading to its stalling.
This has been revealed by Nambale Member of Parliament Hon. John Bunyasi who has urged the government to reallocate funds to the project in the coming financial year so that it is completed.
“The government took one hundred million shillings from the project and directed it to other areas it thought were more deserving. But I urge it to allocate funds to the project in the coming financial year so that the contractor embarks on his work,” stated Bunyasi
The MP has also faulted the government for awarding the project to the contractor he termed incompetent, “It was also a mistake for the government to award the contract to the contractor whose work is shoddy. This project was launched the same time with the tarmacking of Malaba-Ang’urai-Moding-Kakemer road but that one was completed by the Chinese contractor three years ago while this is still incomplete,” he wondered
He noted that the contractor, Gaps Contractors, was awarded several contracts in Western region which he has failed to complete, “At that time the Jubilee government was awarding contracts to people who were close to the government without following the due process and they have ended up not doing a good job. It’s only that there is little time left otherwise we could have changed the contractor,” he asserted
The 28 kilometer road tarmacking was launched in July 2016 and was to take thirty months to be completed at a tune of Ks1.9billion. The Bungoma section from Musikoma to Buyofu (21kilometers) was completed several months ago save for Mateka Bridge, while the Busia section is incomplete.
Currently, a section of Busia side near Madende secondary school has been rendered impassable after a ditch dug by the contractor on the road was filled with water.
Locals have staged demos at the section several times urging Hon. Bunyasi to push the contractor to amend the section and complete the tarmacking process, “Even though this is a national government project but our area MP has the mandate to follow up and ensure that the work is complete. Right now we have nowhere to pass because this section at Madende secondary is flooded with rain water,” lamented the locals led by Christopher Butsunzu and Okwara.
The MP hinted that he had talked to Busia county KERRA (Kenya Rural Roads Authority) to help drain water from the road near Madende to facilitate movement of goods and people as they await the contractor to finish his work.