Maraga Alleges Inflation of Rironi-Mau Summit Road Contract
former Chief Justice David Maraga has launched a stinging attack on the government’s multi billion shilling Rironi-Mau Summit road project , claiming its sheer scale is a brazen attempt to line the pockets of those in power & to plunder the public coffers.
Stirring the pot during a funeral service in Kisii County, the would be UGM Presidential hopeful took aim at President William Ruto saying he is overseeing an infrastructure project that has seen costs balloon to an unsustainable level & which will burden the ordinary taxpayer to the hilt.
Questions Emerge Over Rising Project Cost
The 175 km stretch of Rironi-Mau Summit highway was sold to the public as a game changing infrastructure project to ease traffic congestion on the busy Nairobi-Nakuru route . but six months on & the public is starting to ask serious questions about the actual cost of the project .
According to Maraga, the original deal worked out during the days of President Uhuru Kenyatta had been junked & replaced with a much more expensive one .
“Pres Ruto scrapped the original arrangement & signed on the dotted line on a new deal that added an extra 33 BILLION shillings to the pot. & what do you know he went & gave the contract to the same firm that ‘s been working on a major project in Ethiopia where they pay out a cool 1 MILLION per metre of road laid & I just can’t fathom it”
Maraga went on the say that he has serious doubts about the value that the taxpayer is going to get out of the project & that the numbers just don’t add up.
The whole thing stinks of corruption & will be a disaster for the country if Pres Ruto is allowed to carry on like this. we cant afford to let him get away with this .
Government Defends Multi-Billion Highway Plan
even as the criticism of the project intensifies the government has refused to back down & is sticking by the original plans for the multi billion shilling highway project saying that traffic relief remains an absolute priority for them.
The Cabinet Sec for Roads Davis Chirchir appeared before the Senate Committee on Roads & Transport to give the latest update on the project & say that construction is right on track & progressing as planned.
“ were making good progress on the section between Gilgil & Nakuru & we are aiming to open up the section officially by August this year & all being well “
Chirchir then went on to give an update on the planned design of the different sections of the highway.
” From Naivasha to Gilgil we are going to have four lanes of road & from there on out to Nakuru we will have 6 lanes”
Project Launched to Ease Nairobi-Nakuru Traffic
President Ruto launched the project last November describing it as a vital long term solution to the traffic congestion & transport inefficiencies that are strangling motorists & traders who use the Nairobi-Nakuru highway.
The highway is a very important transport corridor that connects Nairobi to western Kenya & to several of our neighbours in the East African region.
In the wake of Maraga’s latest attack its likely to only add fuel to the ongoing political debate about the cost of the project, the procurement process & overall transparency that surrounds the entire project .
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Maraga Alleges Inflation of Rironi-Mau Summit Road Contract
