Residents of Emurua Dikir Constituency in Narok County have put their legislator Johana Ng’eno in a spot for allegedly constructing a Sh30 million culvert instead of a bridge that connects residents of Chebara village.
The residents, who held demonstrations near the supposed bridge at Ololmasani Ward, claimed that the MP was giving tenders to lazy contractors who end up denying them value for their tax.
“We had cried out for many years for a bridge to be constructed here to assist us access the main road. The MP promised us a bridge but what we are seeing is a culvert that has been washed away by the recent rains,” said Betty Rono, a resident.
The bridge, located across River Mogor, was supposed to connect Ololmasani and Mogondo wards.
She said lack of a bridge was putting the lives of sick people or pregnant women at risk since they cannot access health facilities on the other side of the river.
Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA) resident engineer Joshua Musindayi denied claims that the bridge was a Constituency Development Fund project, adding that the cost of the "box culvert" was actually Sh17 million and not Sh30 million as alleged.
"The MP has nothing to do with this project. The tender was awarded in Nairobi last year. The contractor is 90 per cent done, although he has been slowed down by heavy rains and Covid-19," Musindayi said, warning residents against "peddling lies".
The residents have called on the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and the office of the Auditor General to investigate the use of the local Constituency Development Fund, claiming that the funds might have been embezzled.
Efforts by The Standard to get comments from the legislator were futile as his phone was switched off.
