Govt to spend Sh18.7bn on road repairs, Transport CS Macharia says

A boda boda rider wades through a section of Ulilinzi-Masakundoko Road in Makueni County on April 27, 2018. Transport CS James Macharia on May 12, 2018 said the government will spend Sh18.7 billion to repair rain-damaged roads. PHOTO | PIUS MAUNDU | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Kenya Rural Roads Authority will get Sh13.3 billion.
  • Kenya Urban Roads Authority will get Sh3.4 billion while KeNHA will get Sh2 billion.
  • Transport CS Macharia has said engineers have been dispatched to assess the damaged roads.

The government is set to spend Sh18.7 billion in road repairs starting this week following heavy rains that destroyed infrastructure, uprooted thousands of families from their homes and killed more than 100 people.

Transport secretary James Macharia said the repair works will cost Sh18.7 billion with a huge chunk of the money, Sh13.3 billion, going to Kenya Rural Roads Authority, Sh3.4 billion to Kenya Urban Roads Authority and Sh2 billion to the Kenya National Highway Authority.

Mr Macharia made the announcement in Murang’a on Saturday when he attended a tree planting exercise.

"The rains have caused a lot of damage on the roads and we urge all motorists to seek prior information on the roads they intend to use to avoid inconveniences and danger,” Mr Macharia said.

The Transport CS said the ministry has deployed engineers to assess all roads and draw a roadmap on how they will be rehabilitated, with repairs set to start in areas where rains have subsided.

Roads in urban areas, especially in Nairobi County, will be repaired despite the ongoing rains.

The Transport CS said the government also needs Sh40 billion to upgrade rural roads to bitumen standards, but that will be factored in the next budget.

Meanwhile, the CS asked Kenyans to take the tree planting exercise seriously.

At Gatare Forest, more than 3, 000 seedlings were planted by Kenya National Commission and Kenya Forest service.