Tarmacking of Mbita-Sori road faces delays

Nairobi's Kikuyu Road to be closed for two months

Tarmacking works on the 74-kilometre Mbita-Sori road through Sindo, Magunga and Kiabuya has faced delays. China Civil Engineers Construction Corporation’s Xiao Hongzhi, the contractor awarded the project tender confirmed the report and blamed the delay on Covid-19 and heavy rains.

The Chinese contractor explained that transportation of machinery to Kenya was hampered by the lockdown both in Kenya and China

“We could not could not import the machinery after the government announced the lockdown of the country,” said the contractor.

Mbita-Sori road

The Sh 2.83bn project was awarded in early March. The road serves residents of Homa Bay and Migori counties.The National Assembly Minority leader and Suba South MP John Mbadi handed over the project for the official start of the job. According to the MP, tarmacking of the road was to start in 2011 but this did not happen due to some impasse.

This resulted to the government re-advertising the tender late last year and awarded the job to the Chinese company who were to start works 21 days after the handover. Homa Bay county commissioner Moses Lilan and Homa Bay director of Presidential Delivery Unit Jared Buoga was concerned that the delay was a raw deal to residents service and reminded the contractor that government projects have specific delivery time frame.

“The government approved the start of construction, hence we expect immediate commencement of the work. Start the work so residents don’t continue complaining about poor roads. Most of them can’t access health facilities or market their produce because of impassable roads,” the administrator said.

Fishermen and maize, sorghum and sunflower farmers also complained that the poor state of the road had adversely affected them. The contractor affirmed that work will commence immediately when the rains subside

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