Residents from Borabu in Mekenene Ward have challenged the Kenya Tea Development Authority to help the county government in repairing most of impassible roads in the region.
According to the locals, KTDA, through Nyansiongo Tea factory had stopped renovating roads in the region since county governments came into power in 2013, despite having their vehicles persistently using the roads.
Led by area MCA Alfayo Ngeresa, they said the company had neglected maintaining the roads even after the county government 'did its part'.
“Road maintenance is a collective responsibility and we have to work together as a team. The county government has done its part in opening a number of roads which have since gotten even worse because KTDA vehicles use these routes persistently. We will really be glad if they assist us to repair the roads,” he said.
They said the company had a cooperate responsibility to maintain the roads, besides easing transport of farm produce from the region.
“Any company has a social responsibility to the area surrounding it, so let it not be a coercive thing that we are doing. Even the managers are aware and we have written to them as leaders,” he added.
However, Nyansiongo Tea Company Director of operations James Mwangi said the company had not neglected its duty, and they were waiting for a resolution by farmers to factor the issue into their budget.
“We haven’t refused to maintain the roads, and after all we use them frequently. For the last two years, farmers sitting in the management haven’t passed the issue into the budget but hopefully this time round we will do it,” Mwangi told this writer.