County government plans to invest Sh10b in tarmacking 200km of roads

Governor Wycliffe Oparanya said 15km of road will be upgraded to bitumen status in each of the 12 sub-counties.PHOTO:COURTESY

The county government has launched a Sh10 billion project to tarmac 200km of roads.

This is aimed at reducing the cost of road maintenance and will take three years to complete.

Governor Wycliffe Oparanya said 15km of road will be upgraded to bitumen status in each of the 12 sub-counties.

"We spend at least Sh30 million every year on road maintenance and since the county experiences high rainfall, it is prudent for us to tarmac the roads to reduce the cost of maintenance," Mr Oparanya said.

Speaking during the launch of the construction of the Soy-Kogo road in Likuyani, the governor said the county would also gravel 10km of roads in each ward.

"We are completing phase one of the 10km ward-based road project then start the second phase. Our target is to improve infrastructure and transport in the county. This is a major milestone in developing our county as good roads will spur economic growth," he said.

He added: "We need to open up the interior of our county by constructing and upgrading roads. The main challenge we face is limited funds."

The governor said the gravelling of some county roads had been halted following claims that some contractors were engaging in corruption, leading to shoddy work.

"Some contractors stole gravel bought by the county government and used it for their own purposes. We have been forced to hire equipment from the national government to continue with the programme," Oparanya said.