Laikipia Eyes 700 Km Of Improved Roads After Arrival Of More Equipment
From laikipia.go.ke
Laikipia targets to improve an additional 700 kilometres of roads after receiving the second batch of leased equipment.
The county has about 7,000 kilometres of road network in constant need of rehabilitation and maintenance.
Since receiving the first batch in September 2019, the government has been able to open up and grade 848.8 kilometres and gravel an additional 388.59 kilometres by mid-May 2021.
The new machines will help in covering more kilometres and open up roads within Laikipia. Each ward could have between 50-60 kilometres of roads improved under the leased equipment programme.
The new machines include two graders, one excavator and one dozer and have come to add to the road construction and maintenance machinery in the county from the first batch that consisted of an excavator, five tippers, two water bowsers and two rollers.
They enable the establishment of five road construction brigades which will lead to a faster pace of doing the roads as each brigade will now focus on three wards.
The government has made a considerable saving on the money by going the leasing wat compared to the normal contracting. Constructing one kilometres costs around Ksh. 1.2m while leasing only costs half the amount.
Leasing is one of the innovative financing options employed by the County Government of Laikipia as it seeks to grow its economy four-fold within the medium term.
Leasing guarantees almost 98% availability while paying in bits as the budget does not allow for cash purchasing.
The downtime of the equipment is limited as the government notifies the leasing agent immediately there is a breakdown and they quickly respond. Were it not for the rains, there would be a 100% utilization of the equipment for the five-year contract period.
The government also ensures job creation to the locals in terms of machine operations.
However, the government does not deny other contractors job opportunities. Some construction works are still done by local contractors, including bridges after engaging KIHBT in training on the best road construction designs.
The County government is in the process of leasing medical equipment after the infrastructure leasing proved to be viable.
