Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah has sought answers from the government over the eight-year delay in completing the Musikoma-Buyofu-Mungatsi-Myanga-Mateka Road, raising questions about project funding, procurement, accountability and the quality of works.
Through the Senate Standing Committee on Roads, Transportation and Housing, the activist-cum legislator wants Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir to provide a comprehensive response to concerns he raised during a Senate sitting on October 7.
The senator wants the government to explain why the Sh1.961 billion road remains unfinished about eight years after its original completion deadline, including a full chronology of project procurement and contract award.
In a letter dated October 2026, Senate Clerk Jeremiah Nyengenye asked Chirchir to furnish the committee with the original tender documents, contract, bill of quantities, award decision and any subsequent variations.
He said the committee also wants clarification on the contract's current status, including whether it has been terminated, suspended, extended or re-scoped.
"This is to request your office to provide a comprehensive response to the committee on or before Friday, 30 October, 2026," Nyengenye wrote.
In his post on X referencing the letter, Omtatah said the road works under Contract 115 remained incomplete eight years after its original deadline, raising serious questions about funding, procurement, accountability and the quality of the works.
He has questioned the procurement of a separate 2026 tender intended to complete phase two of the project and wants the Roads CS to produce the legal, financial and technical justification for the new contract.
Omtatah has also demanded a breakdown of annual appropriations, funds released, commitments, certified works and payments made since the project's inception.
Concerns over the quality of the works have also prompted the senator to call for an independent engineering audit examining pavement thickness, construction materials, laboratory results, aggregate and bitumen quality, compaction, drainage, base and sub-base construction.
“Taxpayers deserve transparency, quality roads and value for money,” Omtatah said.
The committee also wants the government to identify those who certified completed sections of the road as satisfactory despite Omtatah describing visible deterioration.
It has further sought details of inspections conducted before the sections were accepted, applicable defects liability terms and whether defects have been formally reported to the contractor.
The government must also disclose whether retention money, final payments or performance security remain available to compel the contractor to undertake any necessary repairs.
The committee has asked Chirchir to explain the measures being taken to ensure the project is completed to the required engineering standards within defined timelines, without exposing taxpayers to unjustified additional costs.
