As a Nairobi motorist I dread the coming of the rainy
season, not because of the rain which has the ability to turn ordinary drivers
a little crazy but because of the roads. I'm sure every driver has had the same
experience; it starts with a crack and suddenly you have potholes all over your
regular route. My regular route is through Kindaruma Road in Kilimani in
particular the section between Ring Road Kilimani and Rose Avenue. I cannot
count the number of times that road has been repaired over the past few years
and once again it needs repair. It makes no sense that throughout the year the
road is fine and then a few weeks under the rain and it's a complete mess.
After enough complaints from motorists a road construction company is
contracted and the road is repaired. The next time the heavy rains come the
cycle is repeated. Often the potholes appear in the same places where they were
supposedly repaired. Over the past two years there has been a lot of building
construction going on nearby which means heavy trucks on roads. Therefore it's
not that I expect the roads to last forever I know that's impossible but come
on, is it too much to ask that they last for at least one year without needing
repair.
There
are roads in Nairobi that seem to last without needing constant repair every
year which leads me to believe the main culprits are the road construction
companies and by extension the people who award their contracts. Those
constructing roads are meant to be professionals and are we honestly expected
to believe that they are so incapable at construction that their roads need to
be repaired every year. Then what about all the other roads that seem to
withstand the heavy rains with no need for yearly repair. Were those roads
constructed by some magic formula that other engineers are unaware of?
What
this comes down to as in so many aspects of life is money. Anyone can picture
it in their minds. The local roads authority gets a report of a road needing
repair. They advertise for a tender for a road construction company to bid for
the job. The 'best' bid is awarded the contract and the company with the
winning bid repairs the road and gets paid after construction. I'm simplifying
the process but you get the general idea. Multiply this scenario by the number
of roads in Nairobi that require repair every time there are heavy rains and
you can see the scam for what it is: pure corruption and theft
What
I find hardest to stomach is how the local roads authority can justify
repairing the same road every time after the heavy rains. I mean seriously, how
difficult would it be to add a clause to the contract stating that if the road
is damaged by the rains for the next year all repairs would be undertaken by
the construction company at their own cost. I'm sure the companies could argue
that this would increase the costs of constructing roads but if the roads were
well constructed to begin with then there would be no problems in the future. I
know that there are a few companies out there that carry out their road
projects with integrity but the rest are giving the roads construction industry
a bad name.
Poor
roads after heavy rains are not a new issue but seem to be a fact of life for
the Nairobi motorist. We accept the misconduct of the roads authority and roads
construction companies but in the end we pay the price. How much have you paid
lately to repair or change your car's tires and suspension? The next time you
go over a pothole that has appeared on your way to work or home, think about
the last time it was repaired and if it has not yet even been a year you will
realize you have been a victim of this scam.
Maybe
now with a new county government in place there may be some changes but I don't
hold out much hope because the road construction companies have not changed and
until their practices change the poor quality of our roads will continue.
