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"id": 1233047,
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"speaker_name": "Hon. Kipchumba Murkomen",
"speaker_title": "The Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport",
"speaker": {
"id": 440,
"legal_name": "Onesimus Kipchumba Murkomen",
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"content": "I thank some banks that, as a result of our interventions, they have been kind to contractors because a number of them could easily have lost their properties through auctions. This is because of non-payment of facilities that they have received. The same information will be tabled and each Member of this House will have an opportunity, through your kind Office, Hon. Speaker, to see the projects in their counties or constituencies and understand the situation. I will repeat that, unfortunately, this is an inherited situation. I know many Kenyans are asking themselves why the Ministry is not facilitating construction of roads immediately. These questions could have been asked five years ago from 2016 to 2020, when all these projects stalled. Therefore, our job is not to continue writing the book of lamentations that this was not done five, seven or eight years ago. Our job is to appreciate the magnitude of the situation at the moment, to work around the clock to negotiate with contractors, and to request those who still have the capacity to finance themselves to go on site. I assure Members that even this Ksh12 billion we will receive is a drop in the ocean compared to the pending payment to contractors of over Ksh90 billion of already-due certificates. However, there are some contractors who are ready to negotiate. If we pay them a certain figure and they are constructing more than one road, they will be willing to go on site. I have seen the Member for Kajiado North sitting here. He knows that we negotiated with one of the contractors for his road to be constructed and for the contractor to return to the site. That is the global situation, as asked by Hon. John Njuguna. Let me go to the specific Questions of projects that have been mentioned by Hon. Members, starting with Question 72/2023 by Hon. Paul Abuor of Rongo. The contract for upgrading to bitumen standards and performance-based routine maintenance of Riosiri-Moi University Rongo Campus - Ogwedhi-Godi Jope Road was awarded to Mystical Corporations in 2019, at a tender sum of Ksh1.1 billion. The upgrading commenced on 20th August 2019, and was scheduled to be completed in 30 months by 20th February 2022, with a defect liability period of 12 months and a maintenance period of 36 months. To date, 42 months have elapsed, being 143 per cent of the contract period against an overall progress of approximately 68 per cent, with 18.2 kilometres of blacktop achieved out of the total scope of 30 kilometres. The Ogwedhi-Godi Jope Centre section of the project, totalling to 12 kilometres, has been substantially completed and is awaiting handing over to the employer, that is, KeRRA. That will enable us to continue with maintenance. To date, the amount certified for payment is Ksh696 billion, which is pending. I also wish to add that the contractor suspended works on the site effective October 2021, more than a year ago, due to financial constraints attributed to delayed payments of IPCs which affected their cash flow. Currently, the contractor is owed Ksh347 billion in lieu of the works done. Two, KeRRA intends to take over the parts of the works that have been substantially completed on the Ogwedhi-Godi Jope Centre section of the project, totalling 12 kilometres, upon which the contractor will be able to claim and receive part of the retention money that is held by the Authority and with which the contractor has received instructions to resume works on the site. These are the innovative ways we are applying for the contractor to come back to site. Further, KeRRA has made a provision of Ksh132 million in the Budget for the Financial Year 2022/2023 for the project. Once the Exchequer has released funds for the above, the contractor will be able to proceed with the remaining works. Due to financial constraints experienced by the contractor because of the delay in payment, he has applied for extension of time, understandably, of 639 days and evaluation of the same is ongoing. The days are already running. The process will be considered as we continue engagement. On Question 77/2023 by Hon. Gideon Mulyungi, I will respond as follows. The contract sum for Phase I of the Kalisasi-Mumbuni Road (Kiseveni-Kalisai Primary School section) is Ksh74,953,255. The contract for the construction of the 1.7 kilometres road was awarded to The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}