The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA), one of the most corrupt roads body is considering changing the terms of employment of its senior management.
According to the set terms in the Constitution, a Director General of KeNHA has a tenure of 3 years. However, looters are planning to have the term extended by a further 2 years.
The proposal are contained in the Kenya Roads Ammendment Bill, 2021.
“The objects and reasons for the Bill as replicated in the advertisement inadvertently refer to the Bill as containing amendments to the terms of office and qualifications of the Director-General of the Kenya Roads Board’. This is to therefore clarify that the Kenya Roads (Amendment) Bill. 2021. proposes to-.) amend section 13 of the Kenya Roads Act, 2007 to change the term of office of a Director-General appointed under the Kenya Roads Act, 2007 from three (3) to five (5) years”, the newspaper advert stated.
In the audit reports by the Kenya Government, Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA) was proposed to be disbanded for being without a clear mandate as the other two KeNHA and Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA).
Corruption and shoddy works
There’s also so much corruption and theft in the agencies such that the three agencies do substandard projects due to the kickbacks involved.
‘They pay so much in kickbacks such that there’s no money to build roads’, a EACC official observed.
Eight months ago, senators called for audit of the three agencies.
Senators said laxity by the Transport ministry in supervising contractors of roads works is resulting into substandard infrastructure.
The lawmakers also blamed the the three roads agencies and the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure for stalled and incomplete mega road projects across the country.
They observed that mega road projects have developed cracks while others have worn out barely two years later despite billions of shillings of taxpayers’ money spent.
Senators proposed that the Penal Code be amended so that criminal liability be preferred against the errant engineers and other professionals.
“They will not only be surcharged but also face a stiff penalty of even 50 years [imprisonment] and above. This is very serious and billions of Kenyan taxpayers’ money has been spent to put up roads,” Machakos Senator Boniface Kabaka said.
The music playing at KeNHA is, ‘please don’t stop the looting’.
