Sh173m roads project starts

The Nyamira County government has started opening up more than 200km of feeder roads serving all the 20 wards.

Governor John Nyagarama and his deputy Amos Nyaribo on Saturday flagged off the machines that will be used in the road works.

Mr Nyagarama said 10km of roads would be opened up in each ward in the second phase of the project.

The works are being done by the national government's Mechanical Transfer Fund (MTF) at a cost of Sh173 million.

"Some contractors were not doing an impressive work and that is why we hired MTF machines, whose works are exemplary, so that contractors can borrow ideas on how to do better," Nyagarama said during the launch at Riomego in North Mugirango Constituency.

He said more roads were earmarked for grading and maintenance. He blamed the county's slow development progress on delayed release of funds from the national Treasury.

The governor said contractors were given a break from county works after it emerged that most of them were doing shoddy jobs.

Nyaribo warned county workers against stealing fuel from machines and ordered residents to be watchful.

"We have previously received cases of officers siphoning fuel from machines working on projects."