President Uhuru launches Jubilee’s 10,000km road plan

President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday rolled out a new plan to tarmac 10,000km of roads in five years.

This will nearly double the number of tarmacked roads from the current 14,000 km to 24,000 km.

Speaking at the launch of the programme, President Kenyatta said the Jubilee government had decided to adopt the Annuity Financing Framework as a solution to myriads of challenges facing the infrastructure sector.

“Under this Annuity Programme, we will complete 2,000km of small roads within 2014/2015 financial year. This will be followed by 3,000km in 2015/2016, made up of 80 per cent small roads, and 20 per cent highways. In (the) 2016/2017 financial year, we will complete 5,000km, 80 per cent of which will be small roads and 20 per cent highways,” said the President.

He said the programme, which has been tested and proven in other countries, will help eliminate corruption, which has been a major challenge in the sector.

WASTAGE OF PUBLIC RESOURCES

“Weak contractual arrangements provided perfect opportunity for briefcase buccaneers and cowboy racketeers to masquerade as contractors while fleecing the taxpayers,” he said.

The President was accompanied by Deputy President William Ruto when he opened the Road Infrastructure Development Stakeholders Conference at Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) in Nairobi.

He said wastage of public resources will be minimised when private firms are contracted to build roads and other infrastructure projects.

He added that the government had taken decisive measures to ensure the country is transformed through infrastructural development.

He said the major challenge to the infrastructure transformation agenda was how to liberate the implementation of projects from our fiscal cycle.

“Budgeting for various projects varies from year to year, exerting serious disruptions,” the President said. “The other challenge facing the sector is the fact that the Exchequer can provide only so much funding for one sector, leaving many projects unattended.”

TAKING RESPONSIBILITY

Mr Ruto said the new model is ideal for the government as it allows every stakeholder to take responsibility while implementing road projects.

“In the past, the inefficiency or failure of the contractor forced the government to ultimately carry the pain for that failure. Previously, when we had poor designs by the engineers, the government picked the pain, but through this model, contractors, engineers and the government will account for what they have done,” said Ruto.

He said the annuity framework will deliver roads in a more transparent, efficient and cost-effective way.

“We believe this model is going to bring on board the synergy and the energy that comes as a result of partners working together,” he said.

Other speakers were Cabinet Secretary for National Treasury Henry Rotich and his Transport and Infrastructure counterpart Michael Kamau, who said the government will ensure adequate funds are provided for the success of the programme, which would be a win-win for all stakeholders.