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{
    "id": 1353833,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1353833/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 112,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Murkomen",
    "speaker_title": "The Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 440,
        "legal_name": "Onesimus Kipchumba Murkomen",
        "slug": "kipchumba-murkomen"
    },
    "content": "across the country. It includes Kshs45 billion for acquisition of land and Kshs105 billion for payment of work done already by contractors. We have a commitment and final auditing is being done for over Kshs700billion to complete these roads eventually. Mr. Deputy Speaker, we also have a challenge because every pending bill is accruing interest and other charges as we progress. The total cost of the pending bills eventually cannot be determined now because it is a moving target. This is including claims on equipment and so many other things. This is a humongous issue. The President has established a Pending Bills Committee, which is trying to look at all these roads. I know Senators - if Members of the National Assembly were here - they would ask the same question on why some roads are pending such as the one in Tharaka-Nithi, since 2016. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, give me one minute to read this. We have a problem across the country. A road such as the one in Meru County, Igembe region was awarded contract in 2016. Also, the road from Maua, Athiru, Kilili to the National Park. The road links Ogen to Tharaka-Nithi. It is incomplete. Only 30 percent is done. A road in Makueni County, from Kali-Kikima-Utangwa township. Again, that is pending since 2020. We have the Mara-Chuka Road, which have been pending from 2018. We also have roads in Kitui County, which have been pending since 2017. We have a road in Mandera County too which has been pending since 2018. This is a challenge. West Pokot County has a road; Kapsangar-Tambach road that has been pending since 2018. Nandi County has roads pending from 2017. There are some roads in Elgeyo-Marakwet County that are not done. There is a road in Nandi County; Timboroa Road which is pending from 2017. I am saying this because when I visit parts of the country, most of the leaders, including Senators will create an impression that a road is pending only in their village or county. This is a national phenomenon and an inherited problem. I wish to acknowledge that the Kajiunduthi-Iriga-Chogoria-Weru-Mutindwa- Kiriani-Marima Road in Tharaka-Nithi County, was awarded in 2016 and has halted since 2021 following the withdrawal of the contractor’s assignee, sighting non-payment of certificates. The 23 kilometres road project was assigned to the M/S Don Woods Company Limited in November 2016 at a sum of Kshs978, 662,957 for construction of works and Kshs106,648,784 for maintenance works. The contract period was 24 months with the initial date of completion being 21st November, 2018. However, the contractor only achieved 10.3 percent, which translates to 2.3 Kilometres of tarmac having faced significant constraint in completing the project. The contractor consequently sought leave to assign the project to M/S China Jiangxi International Limited, which was granted to allow the completion of the project. The assignment commenced on 2nd September, 2019 for a period of 20 months which revised the project completion date to 1st May, 2021. Following the assignment, two additional milestones were achieved at the project amounting to 6 Kilometres of tarmac, bringing the cumulative achievement to 9.32 Kilometres."
}