The construction of a major road in Taita Taveta county has stalled barely two months after its launch.
The Sh2.2 billion project, which will involve upgrading of the 54km road to bitumen standard, was commissioned by Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia on November 1.
However, Taita Taveta Governor Granton Samboja on Monday said the road was hurriedly launched and that the contractor was not ready, thus causing the delay.
“They hurriedly launched the road forcing the contractor to hire machines.
"After a few days, the contractor decided to halt the construction work and wait for his imported machines to arrive,” Samboja said during a public rally in Wundanyi.
He said the machines are expected to arrive in the country in February 2022.
“He has already left the site, construction will resume in February,” the governor said.
Samboja was reacting to sentiments from a section of leaders who claimed that he had played a role in stopping the construction.
The road, connecting Bura - Mghange – Werugha – Wundanyi –Mbale – Msau and Mtomwadogodi is set to open up the agricultural-rich region of the coast.
It shall serve as a major link between Wundanyi and the Voi-Taveta-Holili highway. It will give horticultural and dairy farmers access to both local and international markets.
There has been a supremacy battle between the governor and Wundanyi MP Danson Mwashako on who should get the credit for the new road.
Samboja claims that he led a delegation of county leaders to visit President Uhuru Kenyatta where construction of the road was discussed.
“The road had stalled since 2017, but I talked to former Prime Minister Raila Odinga during his visit to the county. Raila called President Kenyatta over the same,” he said.
The governor said the MP had a duty to follow on the progress of the road and that does not mean he gets all the credit for the multi-billion infrastructure.
Samboja was conspicuously missing during the launch of the road, which was also attended by MPs Andrew Mwadime (Mwatate), Jones Mlolwa (Voi) and Stanley Muthama (Lamu West).
On the other hand, Mwashako claims construction of the road was among his top priorities for the region.
Speaking at a separate public rally in Wundanyi on Sunday, the outspoken legislator said a section of county leaders are hell-bent to scuttle plans to upgrade the road.
He said the road was a big relief for the region and that it will not only open the area, but also create jobs for the community.
He further insisted that the contractor should employ residents in construction work.
“The only tarmac that touches Wundanyi by only one kilometre was built in the year 1972 under the stewardship of the then MP Danson Mwanyumba. Therefore, this is a historical moment for the people of Wundanyi and Taita Taveta as a whole,” the legislator said.
The tarmacking of the road was launched in 2017 by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Construction stalled since then, prompting uproar from a section of leaders who accused the government of abandoning key infrastructure projects in the county.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)