- Senators want accountability on utilisation cash for county roads.
- Transport Committee wants governors to submit all relevant documents.
Image: FILE
Senators have asked governors to provide budget and tender documents for road projects they have commissioned.
The Senate Roads and Transportation Committee also wants the county bosses to give an update on the state of ongoing work.
On Tuesday, committee chair Kimani Wamatangi met governors James Nyoro (Kiambu), Josephat Nanok (Turkana) and Lee Kinyanjui (Nakuru) over their roads projects.
The Kiambu senator pressed the governors to explain why they had refused to submit to the committee crucial documents on the infrastructure projects in their counties.
The Senate had written to the trio three times to send the documents but they were yet to respond.
“The committee was concerned that after three correspondences you failed to submit the required documents. We want to see all documents pertaining to the utilisation of county infrastructure funds and receipts of all conditional grants and amounts the county has allocated for infrastructural developments in their budget,” Wamatangi said.
In his defence, Nyoro said he inherited a dysfunctional office and could not assemble the required documents within the time given.
“Because of the dysfunctional nature of the office and how I found it, it was not easy to have the documents,” he told the committee during the virtual meeting.
Governors Josphat Nanok (Turkana) and Lee Kinyanjui (Nakuru) committed to supply the committee with the required documents.
The Council of Governors and the national government have been fighting over classification of roads and whether the function should be devolved or not.
The Constitution mandates the national government to manage national trunk roads while county governments maintain county roads.
Senators want to ensure Kenyans get value for money on the road projects currently done by the counties.
(edited by o. owino)