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"content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to reply. (a) The Ministry is not aware that Victory Construction Company Limited never finishes its projects. An example of the project he has successfully completed is the Kitui-Kangonde Road Project in Kitui County measuring 45 kilometres. We humbly submit to the House that the escalation of the price due to quantities as a result of terrain factors is a legitimate occurrence in many civil engineering projects because during the design, sampling is only done in between a half a kilometre to a kilometre length along the road and the depth is done between one metre to 1.5 metres. It sometimes happens that the intermediate sections and layers underneath turn out to have different properties. When these situations are encountered during construction, it is incumbent upon the resident engineer to instruct the contractor to carry out the work to the proper standards. This may involve more excavation, more filling with quality materials and disposal of unsuitable materials than was anticipated at the design stage. (b) The Ministry paid the contractor Kshs1,572,419,368 out of a contract sum of Kshs1,895,094,559.84 broken as follows:- The value of the works - Kshs1,094,264,040.43 Variation of price - Kshs303,073,081.10 Value Added Tax (16%) - Kshs175,082, 246.47 Total Kshs1.5 billion To date, 24.6 kilometres of road is complete to bitumen standards, and earth works, including drainage works are complete over a section of 29 kilometres against the earlier length of 43 kilometres. This translates to un-weighted average per cent of 64.4 per cent completion of the original contract or 91 per cent of the revised contract scope of 29 kilometres. (c ) The contract has been extended by 68.3 weeks for the following reasons: During the post election violence the contractor had asked for eight weeks and he was granted those eight weeks; changing design, the contractor had asked for 20 weeks, but the Government declined to grant him that extension; unfavourable weather, the contractor had asked for an extension of 26 weeks, but the Government only gave him two weeks; shortage of cement he had asked for six weeks, but the Government allowed him 4.5 weeks; shortage of fuel, he had asked for four weeks, but the Government declined because there was no shortage of fuel; shortage of bitumen, he asked for eight weeks, but he was only given two weeks; shortage of water he had asked for 49.3 weeks, but he was given 35.3 and land acquisition; he had asked for another extension of 20 weeks, but was only allowed one week; changing nature of works, he had asked for 22 weeks, but he was given 9.4 weeks; destruction of bridge by flash floods, he had asked for 12 weeks and he was given 6 weeks. In total, he had asked for an extension of 175 weeks which is equivalent to three and a half years, the Government allowed him 68 weeks which is one year and four months. (d) The Ministry is not aware that Victory Construction Company Limited took up a road contract ten years ago in Kiambu County and was paid Kshs1 billion and that up to today, they have only done 15 kilometres between Thogoto and Kamangu. The Ministry is aware that Thogoto-Kamangu-Gikambura-Mutarakwa Road is 30 kilometres The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate"
}