[Source: Business Daily, by Barnabas Bii]
The construction the Sh6 billion Eldoret Southern By-pass project is expected to take longer than expected due to delays by the National Land Commission (NLC) to release funds to compensate families displaced to pave way for the implementation of the project.
The project was launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta in August 2017 and was expected to be completed by August next year to ease serious traffic snarl-ups that been witnessed in Eldoret town’s central business district that connects North Rift to the neighbouring countries such as Uganda, South Sudan and Rwanda.
Some of the truck drivers who transport the goods along the route have complained over the slow pace at which the by-pass project has been undertaken.
This comes even as Uasin-Gishu county commissioner Hassan Abdi last week disclosed that most residents have not received payment despite the millions of monies being transferred to the NLC six months ago.
The by-pass project that is funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) in conjunction with the government meant to de-congest Eldoret town is now stalled at Maili Tisa on the Eldoret-Bungoma and Kitale highway as the land owners’ demand for the release of the compensation money.
The county commissioner said the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and Ethics and the Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) have launched probe into the individuals who were irregularly paid Sh153 million in the 32-kilometre bypass by-pass compensation payout.
The implementation of the project is expected to open the western Kenya region to markets in eastern and central African region.
Construction work is expected to take 30 months.
Land owners have expressed concern over the slow pace of compensation and manipulation of the register to include fake list of individuals meant to benefit from the entire process.
[Full article: Business Daily, by Barnabas Bii]
