Road projects stall over Sh173b pending bills, says Chirchir

Grid Solutions East Africa area sales Manager, Manyazewal Tesfaye (third right) and Roads and Transport CS, Davis Chirchir  during the official opening of 31st Institute of Engineers of Kenya international convention in Mombasa, on October 30, 2024. [Omondi Onyango,Standard]

Roads Cabinet Secretary David Chirchir has revealed that several mega infrastructure projects have stalled due to huge pending bills owed to contractors.

Chirchir said pending bills stand at Sh173 billion, forcing contractors to abandon major infrastructure projects halfway.

Speaking during the official opening of the 31st Institution of Engineers of Kenya (IEK) international convention in Mombasa, Thursday, Chirchir revealed that most road constructors have downed tools over pending bills.

The IEK convention brought engineers from Rwanda, Malawi, Zambia, Congo, Ghana, Rwanda, Nigeria, Seralione and Tanzania.

“Most of the constructors have downed the tools since they have not been paid. We must confront the pressing reality of our outstanding commitments, particularly the pending bills. This backlog disrupts project timelines and threatens the financial stability of our local contractors,” said Chirchir.

He assured that the government is working to pay pending bills in the road sector.

The CS said when projects are done over a long time it becomes expensive.

Chirchir reiterated government’s commitment to ensure that engineers and contractors receive timely payments, to contribute effectively to national development agenda.

“I want to assure you that we are going to pay the pending bills. I encourage the engineers to meet the international system of the Washington Accord to be able to participate in our projects and bring down costs. When we use expensive capital from outside, we will not be competitive,” he said.

The CS said most projects including roads will be undertaken through Public Private Partnerships because the government does not want to tax citizens more to fund such projects.
He said the construction of the Mombasa-Nairobi dual carriageway will be part of the projects completed through PPP.

“We need to bring foreign Investment through PPP to attract new capital. We are doing PPP on roads, water, and energy to leverage on cost because we cannot continue to tax Kenyans to build roads,” said Chirchir.

He said the government is committed to engaging the IEK, the Association of Consulting Engineers of Kenya, and the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK) to ensure projects prioritise local talent and expertise.