Roads Board wants agencies to hire repairs teams

By Macharia Kamau

The Kenya Roads Board wants Government agencies charged with road construction and maintenance to set up special teams to undertake emergency repair of roads.

This, the Board notes, would reduce the amount of time taken to do repairs on crucial road segments that are currently cut off by adverse elements like rains, leaving road users stranded.

Emergency roads’ repair teams existed within ministries of roads and works, but were deemed expensive to sustain. The agencies in charge of roads maintenance outsourced the service to road contractors to do the road maintenance works, even in cases of emergency.

The outsourcing entails a lengthy procuring process that KRB Executive Director, Francis Nyangaga, says has slowed down responses to emergency situations.

Instead, KRB wants contractors hired on performance contracting basis solely to undertake emergency road repairs.

Nyangaga cited the Mai Mahiu-Narok Road that was closed recently after it got a major crack. The closure left thousands of motorists, traders and tourists stranded. They were forced to use alternative but longer routes to access their destinations.

The Kenya National Highways Authority, Kenya Urban Roads Authority, and the Kenya Rural Roads Authority are mandated to construct and mainten of roads.

KRB — which manages the Roads Maintenance Levy Fund and is advanced to these authorities for road maintenance — is pushing for the three agencies to hire road contractors to do emergency repairs. The contractor’s pay would be pegged on the repairs that they undertake.

“We will propose to the authorities and the ministry of roads have in place standby teams to come in when there are such emergencies that leave entire towns cut off,” said Nyangaga.

inspection

“Having an in-house team is expensive, but the process of tendering for a contractor is lengthy where a road is need of emergency repair. Having a contractor who is on performance contract would be ideal.”

He spoke Friday after KRB Directors completed a weeklong inspection of road networks in the North Rift and Western region. The recent rains have wrecked havoc on roads in the North Rift, especially in Turkana County, washing away entire road segments. Rains in the North Rift are usually short and sparse, but are heavy and intense resulting in damage that runs in to billions.

KRB also expressed its displeasure with the level of preparedness among the resident road engineers, and noted that there should performed better maintenance of roads before rainy seasons to ensure that the roads could withstand the rain.