By Arnold Ageta
West Mugirango MP Stephen Mogaka has continued to hold firm his stance against the poor road works carried out by some contractors in the constituency.
Mr. Mogaka, who was speaking today at a funeral at Nyakeore Primary School, said the contractor working on the Kebirigo – Nyakeore – Motagara road must do a good job before being paid.
The MP further accused the KERRA Regional Manager of interfering with the constituency’s road projects, leading to poor road networks.
“This road covers three wards in this constituency, and it is the only gateway to Kebirigo market,” he announced. “No one will do a shoddy job on this road and expect to be paid.”
He told the mourners that he is ready to be insulted, but the road must be done according to the standards laid down in the bill of quantities (BQ).
“I personally surveyed this road with the engineers and designed it to a standard road with a specific allocation of money,” he said. “The road was tendered, and the winning contractor was expected to build a standard road within the allocated budget.”
He said the contractor committed to completing the road within the said budget and must finish it according to the standard.
“If they cannot complete the road to the required standard, they should surrender the contract so that another contractor can do the work,” he said.
He told the contractor that he would not beg them to do a good job because they would not receive even a cent from the constituency if the work was not done properly.
“If you think you came to do shoddy work and expect to be paid from West Mugirango, you are deceiving yourself. We will not pay you,” he warned.
He also warned the Kenya Rural Roads Authority’s Regional Engineer to stop managing West Mugirango roads because constituency engineers are available.
“You have no business managing West Mugirango constituency roads, even after you sought my forgiveness for the mess you had created earlier,” he said.
The MP alleged that the regional manager had embezzled funds for the Ting’a – Nyachogochogo road but sought the MP’s mercy, which was granted.
However, the manager has continued to mishandle road projects in the constituency.
“After that incident, we agreed that you recuse yourself from West Mugirango road projects. That is stated in the official letter in your file,” he addressed the manager.
The MP also warned the youths of West Mugirango against taking on tenders that are beyond their financial capacity.
“Next week, at my own expense, I will murram half a kilometer of this road so that I can show the people what a well-done road looks like,” he promised.
His sentiments come a week after a group of contractors from the county alleged that the MP was interfering with the projects they are engaged in, leading to poor workmanship.
