Beautification project in Diani, Kwale County has stalled. Kwale Environment and Natural Resources chief officer Nuru Mohammed confirmed the report and explained that the project was delayed because it was marred by some legal challenges.
The beautification project included the construction of better roads, to decongest traffic at the entrance of the thriving tourism hub, improve the water and drainage system, lighting up the streets and planting various species of indigenous trees and flowers.
The project was designed to add value to Diani municipality. Diani is a world renowned tourists’ destination and it has won several times in the World Travel Awards. It is also meant to open up employment opportunities to jobless youth.
Delayed works
The project was supposed to be done in three phases and scheduled for completion in 2022. The first phase of the project was to cost taxpayers Sh16 million, the second and the third phases were estimated to cost Sh10 million each.
However, it has been almost two years since the contractor left the site. To date, the structures that were brought down along the roads to pave way for the grand project is what welcome visitors to the area. Currently, the county government has skipped phase one and embarked on phase two of the project which involves the decoration of the town by installing dustbins and planting flowers along the roads
“The contractor left the site because some issues came up in the initial stage. We had underestimated the magnitude of the work. We did not take into consideration the Kenya Power electric polls and the licenses required from the Kenya National Highway Authority,” said Nuru Mohammed.
We are however working towards addressing the challenges with the respective authorities. We have already received the required documentation to proceed with the project, but currently they are facing shortage of funds. In addition, we now have approvals from Kenya Power and KeNHA, but we must first pay a certain fee before the work continues,” she added.
The beautification project included the construction of better roads, to decongest traffic at the entrance of the thriving tourism hub, improve the water and drainage system, lighting up the streets and planting various species of indigenous trees and flowers. It is also meant to open up employment opportunities to jobless youth.
