The completion of 3km Kanunga-Banana road in Kiambaa Sub-county of Kiambu County is at an advanced stage.
Upon completion, the road will reduce the distance between Kiambu Township to Banana trading centre in Kiambaa sub-county by about 10 km.
Residents and especially motorists have lauded the National Government for ensuring the completion of the road which stalled briefly because of financial problems.
The Sh 78 million project is now 79 per cent complete and is envisaged that it will be completed by mid-November 2020.
During a tour of Projects on Friday, the Kiambu County Development Implementation Coordination Committee (CDICC) members were happy that work was progressing well on the project and that the contractor was now working on a bridge at river Geche.
The contractor has redirected the water from the river to enable him to construct the bridge before he can allow it to take its normal course.
The chairman of the CDICC Wilson Wanyanga commended the contractor for professionalism on the construction works which he noted were seen on the finished part of the road.
“This section appears as reinforced as the other side which you say was completed two years ago,” said the Chairman while commending him for a job well done.
Mr Benjamin Chamia of Benda constructors and company Limited who won the contract said he was happy to have landed the job and that he was more than happy to get another contract.
“I have gotten enough exposure while working on this road, and I am now confident that I can handle a much bigger project,” he said during the tour by the committee.
He promised the committee that since he had now been paid for the previous work done, he would complete and deliver the project mid-November 2020.
“There is nothing that can stop us now at the point where we have reached,” he said enthusiastically.
He also added that at the time when he temporarily left the site owing to financial constraints, he had hired security guarding his equipment and materials, therefore refuting the allegation that he had abandoned the site.
The contractor also thanked the area business people for being law abiding in that they did not encroach on the road reserve, therefore making it easy for him to progress with their work undisturbed.
One of the prequalification for the winner of the contract was that he should be able to offer the labour based type of construction on the road so that the project could benefit the local people living in the neighbourhood.
In this type of construction, all the work including mixing of materials is done manually and the only time they use the machine was when leveling the road. The contract therefore benefited many residents who were employed to provide either skilled or unskilled labour.
The financier of the project which commenced on October 18, 2018 is French Development Agency (FDA) and the Government of Kenya (GOK).
By Lydia Shiloya
