KURA calls for weighbridges within mining facilities

By Ronald Owili

The Kenya Urban Roads Authority is urging mining firms to construct weighbridges within their facilities to help reduce cases of overloaded trucks damaging roads.

The Authority’s Director General Silas Kinoti says overloading has been a key driver in the fast wearing of roads.

In the current financial year the Kenya Urban Roads Authority has been allocated 2.7 billion shillings for the maintaining existing roads.

The Kenya Urban Road Authority is currently mandated to develop, rehabilitate and maintain all public roads in cities and those at the county headquarters.

A cause of concern for the authority is the huge maintenance bill.

While efforts have been made to reduce cases of overloading through weighbridges on major highways, roads under the Kenya Urban Road Authority have been faced with destruction especially those in mining areas and Machakos County is a case in point.

Poor state of roads has seen investors and locals complaining about dust and loss of investment.

The Kenya Urban Road Authority has embarked on constructing the 23-kilometer Syokimau Kamuru road where phase one covering 6.5 kilometers has begun at a cost of 1.6 billion shillings from the exchequer.

While no compensation is expected along the corridor, Kinoti blames lack of planning of essential services and encroachment for project delays.

The road project will be completed in two years time.