Court injunction and absentee contractor stalling work at crucial water project

Nyeri,

Thursday September 28, 2023

KNA by Samuel Maina

A High court ban on logging and an absentee contractor is slowing down construction works at the Sagana River and Restoration Project.

 Construction works at the Sh1.9 billion project situated in Mathira West sub-county began on February 20, 2019, and was expected to take 18 months.

The project entailed the restoration of River Sagana and the construction of two cascading earth dams with a total storage capacity of 800,000m3, 2,500m3 capacity balancing tanks, and six 225m3 masonry water distribution tanks.

 The project will see the laying down of a 48-kilometer PVC distribution line and attendant ancillaries in a move expected to benefit 1,750 households and 500 farmers living in Mathira.

 But while appearing before the County Implementation Coordination and Management Committee (NGD-CICMC) area Resident Engineer Rose Ong’aro warned the project may take longer to complete than earlier projected owing to legal issues on logging and an absentee contractor who is rarely on site.

She said initially the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) had allowed for the cutting down of some of the trees standing along the project pathway but this was rescinded after the High Court issued a conservatory order halting logging in all gazetted forests.

 The project runs across the Hombe and Kabiruini forest stations that form part of the Mount Kenya forest eastern circuit.

The State had awarded the contract for the project to three entities; Machine Center Limited Civil Engineering and Building Contractors, JV Riang International Group Limited, and Baran International.

“The main challenge is with the Kenya Forest Service in relation to logging activities. We are stripping the lower dam in readiness for the underground treatment but we are not able to cut down the trees so we are just stripping without cutting down the trees and leaving and this is slowing down our work. It is also important to note that initially, KFS had allowed us to continue with cutting down trees but when this one (court order) came we stopped from cutting down the trees and we are therefore not able to do anything,” said Onga’ro.

Overall, the project whose progress is currently at 37 percent and with a revised completion date slated for December 30, 2023, has already cost taxpayers a total of Shs. 336,765,263.48 as payments to the contractors.

In terms of itemized progress percentage half of the works are above 50 percent with the construction of 2,500 m3 clear water tanks at 100 percent, installation of six 225 mm3 distribution tanks at 76 percent, and laying down of 14.7-kilometer water piping at 64 percent.

But the official has decried the slow progress at the works and invited members of the committee to visit the project before the end of next month in a view to coming up with practical measures geared towards facilitating its speedy completion.

 She also promised to follow up with the officials of JV Riang International to unearth the reason behind their absence from the work site.  

“The project is really dragging. The contractor is very slow. We have three contractors and we are only working with one. Honestly, since I came, I have never seen the other two. We are only working with Baran International while Machine Center is partly there,” she told the committee which was chaired by Nyeri County Commissioner Pius Murugu.

In response, Murugu welcomed the request by Engineer Ong’aro to have the NGD-CICMC team visit the project site to enable members to review its progress and come up with necessary recommendations geared towards its speedy completion.

Courtesy; KNA