Blog

Hi, what are you looking for?
President-Elect Ruto phones Uhuru on transition plans
‘With Men, It is Impossible, but not With God’ : Ruto on court win
Raila accepts Supreme Court verdict, but ‘struggle continues’
Win for Chebukati as court finds IEBC wrangles not basis to nullify President-Elect Ruto’s win
Ruto takes it as Supreme Court dismisses Raila petition
Kenya Airways grounded as pilots strike to demand better pay
28 Kenyan fishermen arrested for fishing in Uganda’s section of L. Victoria
UDA to get lions share of Political Parties Fund
Pilot strike adds to Kenya Airways woes
Sonko Tells Kalonzo He Is Likely To Succeed Ruto If He Joins Govt
Kenya sends 900 troops to troubled DRC
Kenya sends 900 troops to troubled DRC
President Ruto pledges solidarity with Somalia after deadly twin blast
2 blasts target Somalia’s education ministry: police
UN steps up ‘troop alert level’ in DR Congo
China, Tanzania upgrade ties to comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership
Xi invokes Mao in visit to cradle of Communist revolution
China assures of more trade opportunities with Kenya, African countries under new leadership
Resolutions passed at the 20th NPC to enable a new Chinese era
Xi Jinping elected general secretary of CPC Central Committee: communique
Ruto urges donor support to fight drought effects
Gachagua to Raila: You’re unfit to lead, just retire
Govt will no longer fund public universities, Education CS Machogu says
Linturi tours the coast to assess challenges facing farmers in the region
Blow to Raila as Ongwae and Janet Ong’era quits ODM party
Kenyans urged to mask-up as COVID-19 positivity rate goes up to 4.4pc
US announces global Covid summit May 12
China reports first two Covid-19 deaths in more than a year
Obama tests positive for COVID
Omamo urges strengthening of Africa CDC during AU pre-summit forum
Why we must tap into the unifying power of sports
Manufacturers Must Be Ready for The Circular Economy
How manufacturing can contribute 20% to the GDP by 2030 
A new sunrise in Agriculture only possible if we can feed ourselves
You need an arm and a leg to compete in Kenya’s elective politics
By
Published
NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 19 -Transport and Public Works nominee Kipchumba Murkomen has revealed that the ministry has inherited Sh140 billion in pending bills.
Murkomen made the revelations before the National Assembly Appointment Committee, where he pointed out that the situation has led to stalling of the ongoing road construction works as the government has no funds to pay contractors.
“The reason why the roads have stalled is because we are unable to pat the contractors and the money to pay them is not there. This is because the money has disbursed the money to other sector and the problem is that we have bit more than we can chew,” he said.
The Transport and Public Works nominee expressed that the costly mistakes that the Jubilee regime undertook in expensive contractual framework in the road construction has led to the current situation of stalled road projects.
Murkomen elaborated that the Kenya Kwanza Manifesto has provided a mechanism to deal with the current crisis by ensuring securitization of loans and the use of road levy to pay off all the pending bills.
“This will make sure we offset all of the pending bills so that we can ensure the construction of roads continue and the equity in infrastructure that we have been talking about is achieved,” he said.
This is even as he assured that once approved, he will revoke the annuity programme in the infrastructure projects that precipitated the construction of Ngong to Kiserian road at skyrocketed prices.
“I will scrap that program and have conversation on the other two roads the one in Lokichar and Modogashe  moved to conventional way of construction. Its even better to borrow than to use the annuity program in the construction of these roads,” Murkomen stated.
The Roads Annuity Fund was established under the Public Management Regulation in 2015 whose purpose was to provide government capital to meet the national Government’s annuity payment obligations for the development and maintenance of roads under RAP.

The annuity programme was aimed at  transforming the country into a low-cost investment and trading destination and bring Kenya closer to the realization of Vision 2030 and attainment of middle income economy status.
Murkomen also pledged to boost the technological infrastructure along the border points to ease the congestion of trucks along the Northern Corridor.
He pointed out that the congestion along the Malaba border has been occasioned by poor technological network being used by the Kenya Revenue Authority to clear trucks.
“As a result of the technology being used sometime even its about internet being used. We will be able to work with the relevant ministries of Finance and the Kenya Revenue Authority to ensure they put in place modern technology for the clearance of goods,” he said.
“If I am approved, I will ensure that the Kenya Highway Authority put in place latest technology to make sure the weighing of goods is expedited,” Murkomen added.
Malaba border post has, for a long time, been characterized by endless queues of trucks extending as far as 25km along the Bungoma-Malaba highway.
The border town situated in Teso North District along the northern corridor serves as an entry point of goods to Uganda and as far as The Democratic Republic of Congo and Southern Sudan. This puts Malaba town on the map of Eastern Africa as a very important terminal.
Murkomen told the committee that he will initiate plans to put in place a parking so as to ease the congestion as trucks have been parking alongside the road as they await clearance.
The cabinet nominee mentioned that the parking will raise revenue for the country as they will put in place mechanisms for truck drivers to pay for the parking.

“The parking area along that border is congested and we are calling about the county government of Busia to invest in that so that we can create a supplement for parking and we can collect revenue from it,”said Murkomen.
This comes amidst plans by the Kenya Ports Authority to construct a 1.8 billion marshalling yard in the Malaba border that will create parking for the trucks.
In February, top Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) officials toured the 22-acre piece of land on which the yard will be built, to ascertain the project’s viability and ensure there is no encroachment that will hinder construction works on the property.

TURKANA, Kenya Nov 5 – President William Ruto has called on more development partners to step in and help Kenya to fight effects of…
NAIROBI KENYA, Nov 5 – Kenya’s aviation sector was in more trouble Saturday after airlines’ crew and ground staff embarked on a strike, joining…
NAIROBI, Kenya Nov 5 – Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has termed the strike by Kenya Airways pilots as illegal and an attempt to…
NAIROBI, Kenya Nov 5 – Kenya Airways pilots made their threat to go on strike from Saturday, paralyzing their airline’s operations. The airline has…
KISUMU, Kenya, Nov 4 – Twenty-eight Kenyan fishermen have been arrested by Ugandan authorities for allegedly fishing in a section of Lake Victoria belonging…
NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 4 – The United Democratic Alliance (UDA) has emerged top in the political parties fund set to be shared among 48…
NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 4 – Pilots at Kenya Airways plan to go on strike from Saturday to seek better working conditions in defiance of…
NAIROBI, Kenya Nov 4 – Former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has implored upon Wiper Leader Kalonzo Musyoka to quit the opposition and join forces…
Copyright © 2022 Capital Digital Media

source