Muthwani MCA George Kingori addresses the public during Jamhuri Day Celebrations at Lukenya assistant county commissioner's office in Mavoko, Machakos County on Tuesday.(Photo/Maugo/hivisasa.com)
Machakos Government should stop collecting taxes from Muthwani Ward in Mavoko Sub County if it cannot tarmac all its roads, says area MCA George Kingori.
Kingori said it was annoying for the residents to suffer from pathetic roads despite the fact the government collects lots of taxes from the hundreds of quarries in the ward.
“Muthwani is a breadbasket of all other parts of Machakos County and its neighboring Nairobi in extension, the county government should not take its residents for granted,” said Kingori.
He spoke during the Jamhuri Day Celebrations in Lukenya on Tuesday.
“In Central Kenya locals depend on coffee as their cash crop, in Machakos it is the quarries which we depend on and therefore residents must be given back to.
Kingori said the lorries which use roads into and from the quarries on daily basis some operating 24 hours make residents have sleepless nights.
He said they had made all roads in the area have dip potholes with lots of dust during the dry spell and serious mud in rainy seasons.
“The notorious Katani – Nzelani – Kamulu Road should be tarmacked as soon as possible, it has lots of dust during this dry spell,” said Kingori.
Kingori said there is a need for public-private partnerships between the companies, national and Machakos Government to ensure Mavoko residents are protected from environmental pollution.
“We do not want our people to die of lung cancer,” he added.
He said Governor Alfred Mutua can tarmac three or four roads at ago in Mavoko since most of the roads were short, some are 20 kilometers or less.
Kingori said Mutua should engage the Nairobi County Government for the roads to be tarmacked.
“With Governor Mike Sonko the roads can be speedily done, Nairobi Government takes Sh 1,000 from each lorry that comes from the quarry for every single trip as taxes. Without the quarries the Nairobi government cannot get the money,” said the county legislature.
He said the government should construct the Mombasa Road – Kenol road so that it be designated for the lorries from quarries to save locals from dust.
“The right change is nowhere, it has come. It is either we are done for roads or we stay with our resources and taxes,” said Kingori.
Kingori said the locals will use the taxes to tarmac the roads themselves if Mutu’s government fails to intervene.