The National government has spent Sh.2.4 billion to construct two major roads in Marakwet East Sub County.
The Elgeyo Marakwet County Development Implementation Committee was told the 35km Tirap-Embobut road cost sh.2.2 billion while sh.242 million was spent on the 7.1km Chesoi-Chugor.
The two roads which run from the highlands of Chesoi through the escarpment to the Kerio Valley will open up the area which engages in mango, beans, maize and potato farming, including rearing of livestock.
The Roads Officer, Shadrack Kemei told the committee chaired by the County Commissioner, Dr. Ahmed Omar in his office that while 7.1km of the Chesoi Chugor road was complete, the remaining 5.4km to Chesongoch will be done under the Roads 10000 programme.
The roads officer said the Tirap-Embobut is expected to be completed by November this year saying the works have been delayed to due landslides where the contractors have been forced to keep on removing debris in addition to construction of gabions.
Speaking the same meeting, the County Director of Education (CDE), Masibo Kituyi said a total of 13,964 tablets had been distributed to 369 public primary schools in the county under the Digital Learning Programme (DLP).
He however, said while 334 schools had been connected to electricity, 34 schools had no electricity some as a result of disconnection due to nonpayment of bills, faulty transformers and non commissioning of transformers.
The Kenya Power Engineer, Luka Kigen assured the meeting that they were addressing the power challenges with the ministry of education.
Kituyi said some of the challenges facing the programme were most of the teachers who were teaching the lower classes were aged and about to retire and therefore were not receptive to ICT learning.
He added that the devices had increased consumption of electricity in schools leading to disconnection, as there was no money to pay the same and inadequate digital content which he said was being addressed by the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development and the ministry of education.
The committee called on the ministry of education to post ICT literate teachers in schools to enable the programme run smoothly.
By Alice Wanjiru
