Blueprint for building 10,000km roads to be released in two weeks

Details of the grand plan to construct roads through the State’s annuity programme will be released in the next two weeks, acting Transport secretary James Macharia has said.

Mr Macharia was addressing members of the National Assembly Transport Committee who sought to know why the roads construction project appears to have stalled two years down the line.

READ: Red tape keeps contractors guessing on 10,000km roads

The government committed to construct 10,000km roads under the annuity financing by engaging local and international contractors.

Under the financing model, contractors will access loans guaranteed by the State from banks, enabling them to design, construct and maintain the roads.

The Treasury will then repay the loans in equal instalments (annuity) over a period of eight years, starting from the time the road section is completed.

Three government agencies including the Kenya Urban Roads Authority, the Kenya National Highways Authority and Kenya Rural Roads Authority are undertaking the projects to be completed in 2017.

“The roads will be done very soon and details on the annuity roads will be communicated in two weeks,” Mr Macharia told Parliament last week.

Roads Principal Secretary John Musonik noted that the ultimate goal is to ensure that all the roads marked for construction are developed.

The second Annuity Pre-bid conference in March discussed plans for rolling out the 10,000km roads building plan.