On Thursday, November 21, President Uhuru Kenyatta chaired a Cabinet meeting that approved the construction of roads in Nairobi County using the Engineered Base Stabilizer (EBS) technology.
According to a statement sent to newsrooms, the piloting of the technology is set to be unveiled in Kibra and Dagoretti South constituencies, where the roads were said to have low traffic volume.
If the pilot program in Kibra and Dagoretti proves successful, then it would be rolled out in other areas around the country.
"The pilot will be carried out on low traffic volume access roads in Kibra and Dagoretti South constituencies and replicated in other areas if it proves successful," read a statement by State House.
EBS is a new road construction method that is considered relatively cheaper compared to conventional approaches.
The technology was developed as a better and smarter way to improve all types of soils for the objective of affordable road construction and road improvement with reduced maintenance.
Roads constructed through the system are protected from erosion by a water-resistant surface that preserves the road surface and protects from any loss of material.
The move by Kenyatta and his Cabinet lifts a huge weight off the shoulders of the newly elected Kibra MP Benard Imran Okoth who had pledged to improve the state of roads in the constituency.
Kibra was selected because of the poor infrastructure in the area and would serve as a good testing ground for the technology and at the same time improve the road network.
The Cabinet meeting that was also attended by Deputy President William Ruto also approved a number of policies focused on boosting the country’s economy, including the Kenya Youth Development Policy (KYDP) 2019 which seeks to mainstream issues affecting young people.
The policy will be used to coordinate youth programmes so as to address unemployment, radicalization, exclusion, cybercrime and trafficking of persons among other challenges facing young people.
