Narok County Commissioner Evans Achoki has urged contractors working on Kilgoris-Lolgorian water project and Kilgoris –Lolgorian road to speed up the projects so that the residents can start enjoying the fruits of the two projects.
Speaking when he led a team of the County Development Implementation Coordination Committee (CDICC), the Narok Monitoring and Evaluation team on a tour of the two projects on Tuesday, Mr Achoki voiced concern at the pace at which the projects which were going on concurrently, were proceeding.
Mr Achoki said the two projects were very important to the residents of Transmara West and East Sub-counties who have suffered for a long time.
He also urged the contracted companies to give priority to the locals in employing both casual and skilled manpower but at the same time cautioned the residents against staging protests or anything that could delay the projects further, saying all issues raised by the residents will be solved amicably through proper channels.
The water project engineer Paul Nyagah assured the team that the project will be completed by July next year as stipulated in the contract according to plan.
Over 28,000 residents of Kilgoris and Lolgorian areas in Transmara are set to benefit from the Sh598.8 million water project when complete.
The 18 months contract for project was signed in July last year but commenced in January this year due to late mobilisation by the contractor.
Laying of pipes and actual construction works of the 17-kilometer water project is being undertaken by the China State Engineering Corporation Limited from China and is funded by the national government through Lake Victoria North and South Development Authority in conjunction with the Narok county government.
The project will draw its water from River Mogor which will be pumped into tanks which will be constructed upstream and distributed to the residents through laying of pipes so that the water flows by gravity
The water project will go a long way in ensuring that the two areas of Kilgoris town and Lolgorian get adequate supply of water in years to come.
On the other hand, Kilgoris-Lolgorian Road which is a 40km project was contracted to Guangxi Hydroelectric Construction Bureau Kenya Ltd at Sh1,477,892,148. Project implementation period runs from August 13, 2020 to August 13, 2023.But the contractor has also delayed in mobilising what he needs in order for the project to proceed well.
By Mabel Keya –Shikuku
