CHAOS AS RESIDENTS CHASE AWAY CONTRACTOR WORKING ON SH5 BILLION PROJECT

Eldoret residents stormed a road construction site and chased away workers. 

A report by Daily Nation, indicated that the angry residents held protests on Wednesday, April 21, after the contractor delayed settling a Ksh 4 million land compensation claim. 

The contractor and his team are in the process of constructing the Eldoret Bypass valued at Ksh 5 billion to bitumen standards.

Confirming the incident, Kapseret Police boss John Odhiambo revealed that four people were arrested during the protest after they stopped the contractor and his team from accessing the site.

The officer also claimed the four caused a commotion in Kapseret Village.

“Their demands are genuine but there are legal ways of dealing with the issue,” he stated.

He advised the disgruntled protesters to follow proper channels to pursue their demands and threatened that those who contravened the directive would face the full force of the law.

The project has been riddled with problems since construction work began under the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA).

In December 2020, the authority was put on the spot over the construction of the Southern Bypass near a school in Nandi County.

Parents of Gaa Primary school, at the time, threatened to move to court to prevent the authority from proceeding with the construction.

One parent noted that the road, when constructed, will disrupt learning at the school.

KeNHA was set to hive off over 2 acres of land from the school, a move which the parents also protested.

By Kenyans.co.ke