Image: /NDICHU WAINAINA
The Nyandarua government will focus on roads' repairs in its Supplementary Budget as it seeks Sh200 million from the national government emergency kitty.
Leshau Pondo MCA Kamau Gathungu, Roads and Public Works CEC Ndungu Wangenye said the roads need to be repaired urgently. They said the recent heavy rains experienced across the country had extensively damaged roads in the county.
The MCA revealed that the assembly had met with the Executive and agreed to slash funds from other departments and allocate it to the Roads department.
“In the recent past, the county has experienced heavy downpours that resulted in excessive damage to our roads. We [the MCAs] recently met the governor and decided we shall cut some funds from other projects and allocate them for emergency repair of these roads,” said Gathungu.
The Roads executive said they had written to the national government, seeking its support from the emergency funds to supplement the local funds which the county government is using to repair the roads.
Wangenye said work on various roads is expected to start this week because the rains have subsided.
“We have had the worst period in the road sector for the last three months due to the heavy rains. That is why we urgently need financial support from the national government so that we can immediately start the repair works,” he said.
Wangenye said among the repairs they will prioritise are major bridges that were washed away by floods.
“The county government has set aside Sh28 million to repair Gachuha Bridge in Kipipiri. Also to be repaired are Wangui Bridge in Ndaragwa and Muua Bridge in Mirangine subcounty, which are set to get Sh8.2 million and Sh10 million, respectively,” he said.
The county had received Sh129 million from the Road Maintenance Levy Fund which Wangenye said was a drop in the ocean, considering that the vast county is mainly served by county roads.