Gachagua backs Murkomen over JKIA roof leakage

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.[Muriithi Mugo, Standard]

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has come out in support of Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, who yesterday blamed the state of affairs at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on poor workmanship by the contractor and engineers.

Gachagua said Murkomen told the truth, while accusing "some people" of being "allergic to the truth."

The DP, in a video clip seen by The Standard also claimed that some engineers colluded with contractors to compromise standards and waste public funds.

"I've seen some people castigating Murkomen for what he said about JKIA. That is the truth...people in this country are allergic to truth. The airport was constructed at a massive cost but today it is a shame,"

"We have some engineers who are not very straight, truthful, they lack integrity. They collude with contractors to compromise standards," Gachagua said on Wednesday in Nairobi.

The DP further claimed that there is a section of roads certified by engineers who were paid that currently have potholes, adding that Murkomen was right to question the amounts spent on the construction of the airport.

The Transport CS had yesterday blamed the leaking roof at JKIA on temporary renovations done by the previous government without meeting the required standards.

He said the government was in the process of decommissioning the terminal and constructing a new one.

Murkomen said the renovations will be redone according to the required standards and the engineers and contractor who were overseeing the renovations will have to explain why they did a shoddy job that led to the leaking.

He also said the leaking roof has been temporarily fixed to avert further leakage during this rainy season.

The CS said a new contract will be awarded to construct a new terminal in the Greenfield area at the Airport. The contract will be a private-public partnership that will commence in January 2024.