Rains delaying works as residents demand answers on why it has taken almost 10 years to complete structure

A crucial bridge linking Siaya and Bondo will be completed by June, nearly 10 years after construction began.

Works on the Uludhi Bridge in Rangala, an important faction of the Siaya-Bondo road linking the area to the Kisumu-Busia highway, started in 2009 when the contract for the road’s tarmacking was awarded.

Yesterday, Kenya National Highways Authority (Kenha) Nyanza Deputy Regional Director Phelix Onsongo blamed changes on subcontractors for the delay.

ROADS NEGLECT

“Fortunately, the subcontractor is back and working on it. The bridge is complete, what remains is the approach road towards Rangala and Siaya town. Our problem is the heavy rains, we would have completed the project had it not been for that,” Engineer Onsongo told Saturday Standard.

But even with Onsongo’s assurance that the bridge will be ready for use in June, residents are demanding answers on why it took 10 years for it to be completed.

Henry Ochieng, a businessman, said the delay is a pointer of the neglect of Siaya roads by successive regimes.

“We are concerned with the bad state of the road around the bridge. The poor road, especially with these rains, is adversely affecting the economy of the county. We do not understand why the contractor is not working on it and why it has taken this long to complete it,” lamented Ochieng.

Martin Otieno, a driver, said numerous demonstrations by residents on the poor state of the road and bridge were ignored by the authorities.

“We have made endless follow ups with our leaders, even staged demonstrations. The old bridge and the road now pose a serious safety to residents,” said Otieno.

Work on the Siaya-Bondo road was originally contracted to Associated Motors but the construction of the Sh25 million bridge was awarded to another firm.

HEAVY RAINS

Siaya Roads and Works County Executive (CEC) Bernard Mboha said he had raised concerns on the delayed bridge and has been pushing Kenha officials for three months.

“They (contractors) were just about to finish it before the rains. What remains is laying of murram, which can only be done after the rains to avoid peeling off. In dry weather, the remaining work would take 10-14 days to complete. We will be doing a follow up,” Mboha told Saturday Standard.

The CEC said the original contractor was terminated because he wanted variation of contracts by another Sh400 million.

“We have information that after that, it was subcontracted to another company. They keep briefing us on every move,” he said.

The bridge at Uludhi is one of the oldest in Siaya. It was constructed in 1930. The 34-kilometer road that passes through it to the Kisumu-Busia highway was contracted for tarmacking in 2009.