Residents of Suba Sub-County are anxiously awaiting the completion of a historic bitumen road that will open up the area to the much-needed public transport system.
The Sh2.9 billion flagship programme by President Uhuru Kenyatta will oversee the construction of the first tarmac road in the area covering 74 kilometers from Mbita, Sindo, and Kiabuya all the way to Sori region.
Speaking during an inspection of the project by the County Development Implementation and Coordination Committee on Monday, Homa Bay County Commissioner Moses Lilan explained that the first two milestones covering 14kms from Magunga to Kabuya and Magunga to Wiga would be complete by the end of April this year.
“We would like to bring hope back to the residents of this area by completing the first two milestones in April and to push for the completion of the Mbita-Sindo-Kiabuya-Sori road per its scheduled time in January 2024,” stated Lilan.
The administrator however expressed concern over the progress of the project saying the contractors were moving slower than anticipated as the project is only at 5.3 per cent completion since its inception in July last year.
Lilan added that the committee in conjunction with the Presidential Delivery Unit (PDU) is now pushing for the construction to begin on two fronts to enable the project to make up for the time lost.
The administrator however assured the residents that the contractors would prioritise road maintenance in the region ahead of the national examinations scheduled to begin next month to tackle the yearly challenge of transporting the examination papers.
Lilan called on the residents to give ample time to the contractors as the road will open up the area to various opportunities as well as enable the residents transport their produce to other parts of the county.
“For a long time this part of the county has experienced difficulties in the transport sector and we believe this project by the national government will open up the region to numerous opportunities as well as allow the residents to transport their farm produce and fish with ease,” added the County Commissioner.
On his part, Nyanza regional PDU director Jared Bwoga reiterated that the project was among the priorities of the national government, adding that his department would see to its timely completion.
Lilan was also accompanied by the county security officers as well as the Critical Infrastructure Protection Unit (CIPU).
By Omar Zabbibah and Sitna Omar
