Kenya Rural Roads Authority accused of being inefficient

Matatu operators block the Iten-Bugar-Kapsowar road in protest over the poor state of the road.

ITEN: The Council of Governors wants the Government to devolve all roads currently managed by the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA).

CoG Vice Chairman Salim Mvurya said these roads are in a deplorable state because of KeRRA's inefficiency and apathy in service delivery.

Mr Mvurya, who was speaking in Iten town yesterday, accompanied by Governor Alex Tolgos and his Uasin Gishu counterpart Jackson Mandago, said residents are blaming county governments for poor roads because of the mess caused by the organisation.

"KeRRA is failing Kenyans. If you travel across the 47 counties, all roads under its management are in a sorry state yet substantial amounts are allocated to the agency every year," he said.

Mvurya, who is also Kwale governor, noted that the spirit of devolution was to ensure poverty at the grassroots are alleviated, but said poor road networks are hindering realisation of this development agenda.

BAD ROADS

"It is only by devolving the rural roads function, currently managed by KeRRA, that this state of affairs can be reversed," he said.

The eaders decried the fact that they are sometimes forced to use money allocated to counties for road construction to repair roads abandoned by KeRRA.

"KeRRA imetukera (KeRRA is an irritant to us) and we cannot continue to carry the blame on their behalf. Every road that residents are complaining about is managed by KeRRA," Mr Mandago said.

He said the Government should, as a matter of urgency, devolve the function and send funds meant for the authority to the counties.

"County governments now have capacity to construct roads because they have manpower and machinery. What we need is the function to be devolved and issues of bad roads in our midst will be a thing of the past," he said.

Mr Tolgos echoed his colleagues' sentiments saying "the faster roads managed by KeRRA are devolved the better for development in the counties".

Meanwhile, transport was paralysed for the second day along the Iten-Kapsowar road after matatu operators withdrew their vehicles claiming poor road network.

"We have incurred huge losses maintaining our vehicles because of the poor state of the road. We therefore decided to withdraw the vehicles until the roads are repaired," said Kapsowar Shuttle Sacco Chairman Jacob Katamei.