Kenya seeks cheaper technology in setting up untarmacked roads

Telewa Roads Construction workers lay steel wires and metals on the ground at Jomvu along the Mombasa-Nairobi highway for the expansion of the road which has been causing major jams. PHOTO | FILE |   NATION MEDIA GROUP

In Summary

• Turning to annuity model that engages private sector is another option
• The government will also seek to lower the cost of maintaining them by use of alternative building and maintenance methods

By MWANIKI WAHOME
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The government is considering low cost model of construction and maintenance of roads to hasten setting up of over 161,000 kilometres of unpaved surfaces.

The initiative comes as Kenya prepares to engage the private sector in construction of 10,000 kilometres of roads through an annuity payment model.
Experts say the cost is higher in Kenya compared to other countries in the region thus the need for a new technology.

“It costs about Sh90 million to construct a kilometre in Kenya, mostly in high traffic volume urban areas and we want this to be reduced to about Sh50 million, which is the average cost of construction in our neighbouring countries,” Principal Secretary John Mosonik said.

DESIGN STANDARDS

Government statistics show that the country has managed to construct an average of 242 kilometres per year since 1963. National road network stands at 161,000 kilometres out of which 14,100 kilometres are paved.

Kenya had only 2,000 kilometres paved in 1963 out of 45,000 kilometres when the country gained independence.

“We also want to design standards for bituminous roads to bring the cost of low traffic volume roads from Sh60 million to Sh30 million per kilometre,” he said last week.

This will be achieved through research on alternative road construction materials with the objective of reducing the overall infrastructure development expenses by 25 per cent.

The government will also seek to lower the cost of maintaining them by use of alternative building and maintenance methods that include use of cobblestone and Do-Nou technique, among others. Dou-Nou involves use of sacks filled with soil to construct roads.

Budget constraints that would have resulted in stalling of planned projects, forced the government to invite private sector players.

This is among the measures that it is counting on to accelerate road construction, particularly in rural areas. Contractors will design and implement projects using local materials where possible and maintain the roads for between five to eight years.

Through annuity programme, contracted private firms will source funds from local banks while the government will set up a road construction fund to assure them that they will be paid promptly on completing their projects.

According Mr Mosonik, the first group of successful construction firms that will be contracted to construct the first 2,000 kilometres, will be known by January 7.

This will be followed by a process to identify others to set up the next 3,000 kilometres.

The government will then move on to construction of 5000 kilometres that it expects will be done much faster after experience is gained in the first two phases