The Ministry of Transport has revealed that it has kick-started the process of reviving over 580 road projects across the country which had stalled due to non-payment of contractors.
According to Transport Cabinet Secretary, Davis Chirchir, who appeared before the National Assembly on Wednesday, July 23, the government has already solved the delayed payment to contractors by disbursing 40 percent of the outstanding payments to contractors, with plans to release another 40 percent in the coming days.
Currently, according to the CS, the regional engineers are in the process of compiling the progress report on all stalled road projects across the country to evaluate the way forward and ensure construction is started as soon as possible.
The CS further revealed that he had contacted the heads of the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA), Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA), and Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA), and had directed them to ensure the effective implementation and management of the projects.
"The biggest challenge has been a lack of liquidity to settle pending bills. That is why contractors halted work," the CS said.
"As a Ministry, we have eliminated the excuse of non-payment from contractors. We have now engaged regional engineers from all three road agencies to streamline project delivery and ensure there is value for money in all the road projects in the country," Chichir said.
On his part, the National Assembly Speaker, Moses Wetang'ula, directed the lawmakers to submit updated reports on stalled projects within their constituencies, so that the ministry can ensure that it does not miss a road.
“If the CS is meeting contractors on Tuesday, send your reports to my office so he can address each case before releasing the next round of payments,” Wetang'ula directed.
The statement comes a day after the Kenya Roads Board (KRB) revealed that it had released Ksh3.68 billion from the Road Maintenance Levy Fund (RMLF), which was meant for the maintenance of county roads.
This amount was paid on June 30 and represents 35 per cent of the total Ksh10.52 billion owed for the 2024/2025 financial year.
The released payments came after the court ruled that the money should be shared with the counties. This amount was paid on June 30 and represents 35 per cent of the total Ksh10.52 billion owed for the 2024/2025 financial year.
