DP Gachagua Joins Murkomen in Blaming Uhuru Gov’t for JKIA Chaos
The infrastructural difficulties encountered at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) have been ascribed by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua to inadequate craftsmanship exhibited by contractors and engineers during the tenure of former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Gachagua, in support of Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen’s claim that expedited renovations during Uhuru’s administration compromised standards, criticized Murkomen’s detractors because they are opposed to the truth.
“I have seen some people castigating him (Murkomen) on what he said about what happened at JKIA, but that is the truth,” Gachagua stated.
“People in this country are allergic to the truth. And quite a number have a problem with me, but there is nothing they can do because the truth is the truth,” he added.
On Wednesday, during the inauguration of the 30th Engineers of Kenya Convention in Mombasa, the DP also conveyed apprehension regarding the escalating prevalence of unscrupulous individuals presenting themselves as engineers throughout the nation.
Concerned about the current condition of JKIA, he remarked that it is a disgrace to the fields of architecture and engineering.
”JKIA was done at a massive cost but today, it is a shame to the profession of engineers and architects. Public resources were expended, and when you go there, you feel sorry, yet engineers and architects certified, and based on that certification, payments were made,” he said.
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The remarks follow a video that went viral and exposed a leak at JKIA, mere days after the airport was affected by a nationwide outage.
Transport CS Kipchumba Murkomen, on Tuesday, November 14, during an inspection of Diani Airport, attributed the hurriedly executed renovations to the previous administration and placed the onus on the engineers and contractors supervising the shoddy work.
“When we got into the office we found that the projects in the previous regime were substandard. When the renovation was done on Terminal 1C and E, it was in a hurry and temporary because there needed to be set up an in-field project which was costly. But we have spoken to the contractors to redo the job,” Murkomen said.
Gachagua further advocated for increased scrutiny by relevant institutions and the engineering board in his Wednesday address to engineers. He urged the implementation of a rigorous self-assessment mechanism to ensure adherence to ethical standards and to hold accountable professionals who certify substandard work.
“Professionals should be held accountable for lapses and for misleading the taxpayer by certifying shoddy jobs and probably becoming criminally comfortable. That would help this country,” he stated.
Self-regulation was emphasized by the Second in Command as a means to avert external interventions and the condemnation of the engineering profession as a whole on account of the actions of a minority.
Additionally, he insisted that, to protect the engineering profession’s integrity, non-serious individuals be eliminated.
“We have roads that develop potholes before completion, certified by engineers and paid for,” Gachagua continued.
DP Gachagua Joins Murkomen in Blaming Uhuru Gov’t for JKIA Chaos
