Kuresoi farmers complain over poor state of roads

Residents of Kuresoi North Sub-county have complained over the poor state of roads in the region.

They said their pleas to the county administration to repair roads and bridges had gone unheeded.

Among the most affected roads, they said, is the Emitik Chikamba road in Kaptich.

RAINY SEASON

They said the road had become almost impassable, making it difficult for them to transport their produce to the market, especially during the rainy season.

Mary Kurgat, a dairy farmer from Emitik village said she incurs huge losses because she is unable to transport her milk to Olenguruoni Dairy cooling plant, approximately three kilometres away.

Ms Kurgat said she had been forced to sell the produce to brokers at a price of Sh20, down from the Sh35 she would get from the processor.

Tea farmers from Olenguruone have also not been spared, saying their produce does not get to the factory on time, resulting in huge losses.

"Production of tea is very high, more so during the current rainy season, but we are incurring losses because there are times our tea does not get to the factory because of impassable roads," said Sawe Toroitich, a farmer.

Toroitich said vehicles that are supposed to pick the produce from various centres can no longer access them because the rains had rendered most of the roads impassable.

WASHED AWAY

The residents demanded immediate action from area Member of County Assembly James Tuei.

They alleged that despite Sh25 million having been allocated to the ward in the 2015/16 financial year, no major project has been undertaken.

Chepkwet-Kabugnot is among the roads that residents say had seen about of effort, although the work done in some areas was said to be substandard, with the murram having been washed away following heavy rains.

Upgrading of the road was done in the 2014/15 financial year.

Locals blamed the contractor for their predicament, saying he should have turned down the contract if he was insufficiently funded to do the job.

They now want Governor Kinuthia Mbugua's administration to conduct a comprehensive audit of all the road projects in the county.

The farmers also want the county administration to book contractors found to have breached the terms of their contracts.