It is an open secret that local road contractors have failed this country in its quest to become a middle-income economy.
Most roads built by the contractors are not worth talking about. They degenerate as soon as they are completed. In fact, most contractors start to re-patch sections they have built even before the work stretches more than a kilometre. The just concluded long rain season helped to ‘peel back the mask’ on the work of the contractors.
But entered the Chinese, and Kenya seems to be making headway in building world-class infrastructure. A look at Thika Superhighway and other roads built by Chinese shows first-class workmanship. One wishes that all our major highways could be like the superhighway.
However, the sad thing about this roads affair is that our contractors seem not to have learned anything from the Chinese when it comes to workmanship. Perhaps this arises from the fact that they are assured of winning contracts despite their “work”.
PointBlank is happy that China has promised to strengthen its bilateral trade with Kenya. This means we will get a few more good roads, even in the estates.
Holiday tuition ghost haunting poor parents
Holiday tuition, a programme that tires children and fleeces parents, notes Mr Mutua, is alive and vibrant.
Mutua would like to inform Education minister Mutula Kilonzo that parents are currently being ‘forced’ to pay money for the programme.
“In the school my child learns, we have been asked to pay Sh4,000 per child for the two-week programme that will start next month,” Mutua recounts.
The school has about 100 pupils and a simple calculation, according to Mutua, shows teachers will pocket Sh400,000.
“If this is not robbing poor parents, what is it? Minister Mutula needs to take immediate measures to stop this exploitation,” he laments.
Mutua says after the ministry extended first and second terms to 16 weeks, it was noted that teachers will have enough time to cover syllabus, thus eliminate holiday tuition.
