The decision by Nyamira assembly roads committee to suspend ongoing repair of roads across the county has been defended by the committee’s chairperson.
The Monday’s decision was received with a lot of criticism from a section of the public who accused the county government of derailing renovation of major feeder roads making it difficult for farmers to transport their produce to urban centers.
Addressing disgruntled residents in Botana-Gesima ward on Thursday, Rigoma MCA Ben Sironga said the decision was timely to improve the quality and durability of the roads under construction.
He said the committee came up with the decision following the inspection of a number of feeder roads that were under construction despite the area receiving intensive rains.
“Sometimes we have to be realistic. We are experiencing major rains at the moment and it makes it difficult for contractors to build durable roads. If they continue, it will amount to wastage since the county may be needed against to redo the job,” he said.
He urged residents to give the contractors humble time to finish their jobs by waiting for the rains to subside to avert incidents of substandard work.
“I understand how transportation is difficult from this place but at the same time, we have to accept the situation and give the contractors humble time to finish their job once the rains reduce. We want roads that will be durable because they cut the spending cost by the county,” Sironga added.
He urged contractors to abide by the directive and vacate construction sites until the ongoing rains reduce.