Contractors threaten to lock CBC classrooms over delayed pay

Classroom under construction. [iStockphoto]

A section of contractors in Migori County who won tenders to construct Competence Based Curriculum (CBC) classrooms during President Uhuru Kenyatta's regime have now threatened to lock learners out of the classes over lack of payments.

They claim the government is yet to offset their dues more than two months after they completed the construction of the CBC classrooms.

Led by Rioba Bokobora, a contractor, who spoke on their behalf, the contractors claimed they worked diligently to complete the classrooms and have been expecting their pay in vain.

"Some of us borrowed loans to build the classrooms, and the banks are already on our necks," Mr Bokobora said.

The contractors claim each of them is owed Sh1.3 million by the government for the classrooms they constructed in Migori to host the CBC learners.

Bokobora said they had applied for the tenders advertised in December 2021 for the first phase and July 2022 for the second phase and won.

"We were given work, and we completed it in time," he claimed. They claim attempts to get feedback from Ministry of Education officials have all hit a dead end.

Migori contractors are among the contractors countrywide owed more than Sh7.8 billion for the project meant to facilitate grade six learners who transitioned to Junior Secondary schools.

Efforts to get a comment from ministry officials, including the Director of Education for Migori Jacob Onyiego were futile.