A group of MPs from the Mt Kenya region has issued threats to censure the Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary, Kipchumba Murkomen, citing stalled road projects in the area.
Their specific concern was directed at the Mau Mau road, a project initiated by the Jubilee regime but subsequently halted due to a lack of funds.
"Murkomen should ensure the road is completed and we will not wait more than six months. If after six months contractors will not have returned on site, we will collect signatures to impeach you," Kangema MP Peter Kihungi said.
On Sunday, Kihungi addressed the congregation at Ndueni Full Gospel Church in Kangema, accompanied by Juja MP George Koimburi, Kinyona MCA Liz Mbugua, and other local leaders.
They collectively urged the government to finalize all halted road projects in the region, emphasizing the significance of completing the Mau Mau road, which connects multiple counties in the area.
Stressing that substantial public funds have already been invested in these road projects, they asserted that it would be wasteful not to see their completion.
The lawmakers asserted that, before stalling, the Jubilee administration had allocated Sh4.5 billion for the construction of the Mau Mau road.
They went on to claim that the amount earmarked for the road's completion in the last supplementary budget was reduced from Sh280 million to Sh175 million.
Mbugua highlighted that President William Ruto had pledged to ensure the completion of stalled road projects in the region, but the implementation of this promise was taking an extended period.
She expressed concern that the residents of the area are facing difficulties navigating various places in the region due to the persistent heavy rains, making the road impassable.
"We have problems because those from one side of the area cannot access the other side. Even taking patients to hospital is a big problem now," she said.
Koimburi argued that the government seems to be treating the deteriorated Mau Mau road as a non-priority project, despite it being one of the promises made to their constituents.
"I want to tell the President, I want to tell the CS that Mau Mau issue is now a concern for our locals," he said.
The 165-kilometer Mau Mau link road was initially designed to honor Mau Mau war veterans and facilitate access to the Aberdares forest ecosystem.
This road connects Murang’a, Kiambu, Nyeri, and Nyandarua counties.
According to the Kenya Roads Act 2007, the responsibility for developing, rehabilitating, maintaining, and managing rural roads in the country lies with the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA).
The authority is also tasked with ensuring that the quality of road works adheres to the standards defined by the Cabinet Secretary in charge of the Roads and Transport Ministry.
However, Mau Mau Road-LOT 3 falls under the jurisdiction of the Kenya National Highways Authority.
