How Meru is building roads cheaply

What you need to know:

  • While a kilometre of road costs Sh70 million to tarmac at the current market rates, constructing roads using Probase Standard technology reduces the cost to Sh23 million.
  • Governor Peter Munya, his roads executive Newton Itobi and Probase Manufacturing SDN Company boss Seow Cheng Soon will meet President Kenyatta on Saturday to explore the possibility of spreading the technology to other parts of the country.
  • The county wants to tarmac 300 kilometres using the technology to cover the nine sub-counties. Of the 4,000-kilometre road network in Meru, only 350 kilometres are tarmacked.

Construction of roads using cheap technology from Malaysia has started in Meru.

While a kilometre of road costs Sh70 million to tarmac at the current market rates, constructing roads using Probase Standard technology reduces the cost to Sh23 million.

The Malaysian Government will give the county a Sh880 million loan to fund the construction.

A 10 kilometre pilot project is complete and won President Uhuru Kenyatta’s praises when toured the Meru County on Saturday.

The county wants to tarmac 300 kilometres using the technology to cover the nine sub-counties. Of the 4,000-kilometre road network in Meru, only 350 kilometres are tarmacked.

President Kenyatta visited the Kianjai-Miathene-Mikinduri road being tarmacked using the technology.

The technology, launched in 1998, is currently being used in 13 countries in the world, including Uganda.

THE PRESIDENT

Governor Peter Munya, his roads executive Newton Itobi and Probase Manufacturing SDN Company boss Seow Cheng Soon will meet President Kenyatta on Saturday to explore the possibility of spreading the technology to other parts of the country.

“The President requested we meet him to share more details technology,” Mr Itobi told the Nation yesterday.

Unlike the normal road construction where two layers of road are paved, the new technology uses surface dressing where one layer is compressed until no water can penetrate.

“The pavement structure is improved to between 150mm-200mm which reduces costs by three times,” Mr Itobi said.

The Malaysian company will maintain the pilot project funded by the Meru County Government for five years without extra costs.

The county is waiting for the President’s approval before it can get the loan from Malaysia’s Exim Bank to construct 250 kilometres. The interest rate is pegged at three percent.

“The President inquired about the lifespan of the road, its defect liabilities and bearing capacity and was impressed,” Mr Itobi said.

Mr Munya said the development of an extensive road system is at the heart of his development agenda.

“My government is banking on major constructions, especially roads for employment to hundreds of jobless youth,” Mr Munya said.