Murkomen Calls For An Increase In Fuel Prices
Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen aims to raise the road maintenance fee by Ksh5 to address the rise in the expenses of road construction materials due to inflation.
In a conversation with Spice FM during a media interview, Murkomen mentioned that this action would help preserve the condition of gravel roads throughout the nation.
The computer scientist mentioned that more than 5,000 roads had been built, yet there was no strategy in place for their upkeep due to financial limitations.
He also rejected the feasibility of the proposal put forward by the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) suggesting a Ksh5 reduction in the levy, stating that it is not viable.
The charge, known as the Road Maintenance Levy Fund, is gathered from fuel purchases and currently stands at Ksh18 for every liter of petrol and diesel.
If Murkomen’s suggestion is accepted, it would result in motorists being charged Ksh23 more for each liter of fuel when purchasing, consequently causing a rise in fuel costs.
“There are 5,000 Kilometres of roads constructed and not maintained. These are orphaned roads as you’ll find they are full of potholes since they are not maintained,” he stated.
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Murkomen outlined the concerning condition of roads nationwide, highlighting that the government is indebted to contractors by more than Ksh700 billion, with Ksh400 billion of that amount owed to Chinese contractors. Consequently, this backlog has caused delays in various road projects that have remained pending for years.
He explained that the Kenya Kwanza government was dedicated to paying off the debt to facilitate the completion of the projects by the contractors.
” Many of the contractors come to my office crying. Either the banks are selling their houses, or some are admitted to hospitals. People are suffering. We then have to negotiate with the banks to give them time to complete the payment,” he stated.
“We will not commence on any new project unless that project is from a development partner such as the World Bank, or African Development Bank.”
“I’ve told President William Ruto and my colleagues at the Cabinet, in fact, I am likely to be an unpopular CS if the people don’t appreciate that the resources are not there for us to build the roads.”
Murkomen Calls For An Increase In Fuel Prices
