Elgeyo Marakwet County Development Implementation Coordination Committee (CDICC) will seek approval of the Environment and forestry Principal Secretary before uprooting trees in the forest to give way for the construction of stalled Kokwogoi- Chebororwa road.
The Sh 1.3 billion road which will connect Tenden to Chebororwa in Marakwet West Sub County had stalled because the contractor was not allowed to uproot any trees within the stretch in the forest where it is supposed to go through.
During the County Development Implementation Co-ordination Committee [CDICC] meeting, the contractor was given the go ahead to proceed with the construction of two box culverts within the forest section as they do not affect the trees in any way.
The Director Presidential Delivery Unit [PDU], Timothy Kilimo said there is no reason for the delay in the construction of the box culverts, because they are being constructed on a road reserve thus do not interfere with the forest.
“The construction of the culverts can continue as we await response from the relevant authorities,” said Kilimo.
The area County Commissioner Dr Ahhmed Omar who is the committee chair assured the CDICC he would pursue for approvals for uprooting the trees from the relevant authorities as a way of fast tracking the process to avoid further delays on the construction of the road.
The committee also requested the resident engineer Laban Ngigi to fast track payment to Kenya Power and Lighting Company [KPLC] for relocation of the power lines affecting continuous construction of the Tenden Kibigos road.
The contractor has been instructed to ensure that the first milestone of the project is delivered within the required timeline because it was not affected by the forest issue.
By Rennish Okong’o
