President Uhuru Kenyatta on Tuesday threatened to cancel the contract awarded to a company owned by a wealthy Mt Kenya billionaire unless the construction of major roads is completed in the next 30 days.
Speaking during a tour of Murang’a County, Kenyatta directed Nyoro Construction Company, which is owned by billionaire Engineer Josiah Nderitu Njuguna, to complete works on the Gitugi-Njumbi-Mioro road.
Construction of the 41-kilometre road has stalled for the past four years, angering residents who have had to put up with the poor state of the road.
The contract was reportedly awarded in 2012 but four years down the line, only five kilometres have been tarmacked while the rest of the stretch remain impassable especially during the rainy season.
It is not clear if the contractor will be able to meet the strict deadline from President Kenyatta but residents are hopeful that the intervention will help expedite the construction of the road.
Last year, during the funeral service of former Cabinet Minister J.J Kamotho, Kenyatta had warned the constructor to complete the road as soon as possible.
Nyoro Construction company has in the last two decades benefited from multi-billion tenders despite a record of controversy in its construction works.
In the early 2000s, MPs had called for the company to be blacklisted for allegedly doing a shoddy job while undertaking construction at Nairobi’s Juja Road.
Here is a photo of part of the road in Mathioya constituency:
