Leaders and residents have protested the temporary suspension of the construction of Jamindas-Khumailo wa Akatsa road in Lurambi and Ikolomani Constituencies in Kakamega County by the national government.
Ikolomani Member of Parliament (MP) Bernard Shinali and residents are also questioning the capacity of the contractor, stating that the works have stopped for almost a week without any communication.
The 33-kilometre road was first launched in 2017 during former President Uhuru Kenyatta's tenure, but could later stall after the Chinese contractor pulled out of the race due to unpaid arrears.
Speaking to the press after inspecting the road, Shinali urged the relevant government agencies to compel the contractor to resume the construction immediately.
"We want to ask the government to it should order the contractor back to the site because the previous contractor abandoned the site due to arrears. We want the contractor to give us his working schedule," said Shinali.
He added, "We have no idea who the contractor is; we just understand that he is a Briton. We have seen the material and equipment the contractor has, and according to our assessment, the equipment cannot match the nature of the road."
According to the MP, the 33-kilometre road needs a serious contractor with sophisticated and modern machines.
"The road has several sections, and the Ikolomani section is 9 kilometers. We have seen little work being done; we need to see modern machines so that the road can be completed on time for usage," said Shinali.
He added, "We want to see the assignee how much money he needs to be given and has been allocated for the entire work. How long should the road take to be completed, and his the schedule for the whole construction of the work?"
The lawmaker emphasised the importance of the road in boosting the local economy, adding that it connects three constituencies with Kakamega town
"The government has allocated Sh200million, and it has paid Sh93million it owes to the previous contractor and the work. This road is key in uplifting the economy of our county because it connects almost three constituencies where farming is dominant, and therefore, transportation of produce from farms to Kakamega town will be seamless," said Shinali.
The road connects Lurambi, Ikolomani, Khwisero, and Butere constituencies.
However, locals want the contractor to leave the site and pave the way for the one with the capacity to fast-track the construction and completion of the road.
"The contractor is slow in his work, and he has no capacity because the kind and nature of machines on the ground does not match the nature of the road," said Brian Otieno, a resident and one of the workers on the road.
He added, "The road is too huge and it needs a lot of effort. It is now a week and the contractor is not on the site without giving any reason as to why he has suspended the work."
Otieno argues that the contractor has sidelined the locals in the construction of the road.
"Most of the people who have been working on the road are outsiders, and locals have been sidelined. We want locals to be involved in the work, save for the work that needs professionals," said Otieno.
Mark Anami, another resident, expressed frustrations and fears that the road might once again stall like before.
"We have faced a lot of challenges with the bad state of this road for a long time. The road has stalled since the tenure of former President Uhuru Kenyatta, and we had hopes when we saw the resumption of the construction of the road, but again, we are starting to worry over the slow pace the contractor is working," said Anami.
He added, "If the contractor is lazy, he should pave the way, and if not, the government should allocate enough money for the work to avoid the road from stalling as it has been the case."
