By The Weekly Vision Reporter
Stakeholders in the public transport sector have called for the introduction of a Marshal Plan to fix major highways and roads that were damaged by the recent heavy rains. The rains pounded the country between April and May, killing more than 200 people and displacing thousands.
In a press statement issued last week ahead of the 2024-2025 budget presented before parliament by Treasury CS Njuguna Ndungu, PBO national chairman Stephen Cheboi said the country’s major roads were in ruins after heavy rains that left havoc in its wake.
“As PBO, we expect the budget to factor in this aspect of restoring roads to normal capacity to ease the movement of people and goods, as this is a key stimulus to any economic growth and also a major way of easing transportation, the nerve center of economic growth,” Cheboi said in the statement.
He said that while it is appreciated that the second “Hustler’ budget aims at reducing dependence on external debts and expanding the domestic tax base, every effort must be aimed at reducing the cost of living for the “holloi polloi”.
“We believe that priority must be given to fixing the roads damaged by the heavy floods since this money is already available from the World Bank and should commence immediately,” Cheboi said in the statement.
He said that as much as efforts are made to expand the tax base, the price of basic food items must not be increased, as this will badly affect the low-income, poor Kenyans living from hand to mouth.
“Everything begins with good roads, ensuring safe and efficient transport from different parts of the country where the price of petrol will drive the economy,” Cheboi noted, saying this was the only way to secure the lives of low-income Kenyans.
