Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna on Thursday demanded answers after the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) flooded following heavy rains.
Speaking at the Senate, the lawmaker requested the Committee on Roads, Transportation, and Housing to furnish the public with more information on the circumstances that led to the leakages at the facility and what steps the government has taken to correct the situation.
During his speech, Sifuna questioned how both JKIA and the Kisumu International Airport flooded within a span of 5 years.
The lawmaker specifically sought to find out how much money was being spent on maintenance at the 2 facilities.
Sifuna further demanded that the committee should provide the names of the contractors involved in the maintenance of the two airports.
The committee will also be required to provide the leaders who picked the contractors and signed off on the tenders.
"The committee should also provide the identities of public officers who certified the construction and maintenance works as completed outlining the actions taken against those responsible for the certification of poor workmanship," Sifuna stated.
He also asked the committee to outline measures put in place to ensure such incidents do not occur in the future.
The leaking roofs at JKIA have been met with backlash from Kenyans and leaders who called upon Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen to take action.
While defending the government, Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen blamed former President Uhuru Kenyatta's regime for the leakages, claiming the contractor brought on board by the previous administration did a shoddy job.
"Over the 10 years, JKIA has suffered inadequate facility and infrastructure upgrades," Murkomen complained.
The Cabinet Secretary however revealed that his ministry has kickstarted the process of upgrading the infrastructure at the facility.
After making this pronouncement, the Cabinet Secretary formed an 11-member committee to probe the issues at JKIA including the poor state of infrastructure.
The committee is expected to submit a comprehensive report to the Cabinet Secretary within the next 14 days and submit the final report within 28 days.
