14 contractors delaying road projects identified

The government has released a list of ‘shame’ that names contractors who have been deemed non-performing and those accused of delaying development projects worth billions of shillings in various parts of the country.

The list, which is currently before the National Assembly’s Transport, Public Works and Housing Committee, names 14 firms that were given road contracts but had not delivered at the expected time.

Top on the list of the contractors that the committee chaired by Mr David Pkosing (Pokot South) now wants to surrender the tenders so that they are given to other firms are Gipsy, Kitho and Civicon construction companies.

According to the document, Gipsy Construction Company was awarded the tender to build the Kutus-Kianyaga Road and the St Joseph-Ol-Kalou Road.

AWARDED TENDER

Kitho Construction was awarded a tender to construct the Matuu-Ekalakala Road while Civicon got the tender for the Kati-Kikima-Nduluku Road and Omoringamu-Kenynya-Motonto Road.

The list also has Dickways construction, which had been tasked with the construction of the Kirwara-Kigio-Blue Post Road, Bonafide Construction Company, which got the tender for the Tumaini-Wakiongo Road and Frontier Construction, which was supposed to build the Lodwar-Loreningipi Road.

Northern Construction Company, which got the tender for the Coca Cola-Kithaku Road, Anole Construction in Meru and Westbuild Construction that is building the Marimanti-Chiakariga-Gatonga Road have also been included in the list of non- performing contractors.

The spotlight is also on Pepeta holdings Limited, which was given the tender for the Matemorabu-Suba-Kuria-Masaba Road, Nairobi logistics, which is in charge of the Kadel-Alara-Kanyadhiang Road in Homa Bay and Bridgestone Construction Limited, which had been tasked with the construction of the Ekwanda-Luanda-Magada Road.

NON- PERFORMING

Closing the list of non-performing contractors is Nyoro construction, which is building the Kenol-Ngoleni-Kaani Road and Modogashe Construction, tasked with the construction of the Isiolo town roads.

Giving the scorecard of his committee on Thursday during the launch of a parliamentary forum for committees at Parliament buildings, Mr Pkosing regretted that the non-performing contractors have delayed the ambitious government plan of achieving its target of constructing 10,000km roads.

He said they should, therefore, be barred from bagging other tenders.

“We are contemplating having an amendment to the Procurement and Disposal Act to bar such companies or other companies having similar or same directors from getting any other works,” Mr Pkosing told the Sunday Nation.

BLACKLISTED

President Uhuru Kenyatta last year put rogue contractors on notice, saying anyone who does not live up to the expected standards would be blacklisted.

“People should not ask for jobs they cannot do. Any contractor who abandons his job halfway from now on will be blacklisted and not be allowed to get any deals in Kenya again,” President Kenyatta said.

According to the document, the contractors are mainly local ones. They mainly have weak financial capabilities, begging the question as to how they won the tenders in the first place.

Taxpayers have been losing billions of shillings to rogue contractors, who normally abandon work midway then later demand more money for additional work and time lost.