Lodwar, 10th August 2023 (Governor’s Press Service) –

Governor Jeremiah Lomorukai has called for better stakeholder involvement to ensure that residents of Turkana benefit from the social infrastructure component of the Kenya-South Sudan link road project.

The Governor stated that the county is committed to supporting the implementation of the project, but insisted on the need for close collaboration between all stakeholders.

“We are ready to facilitate the implementation of government projects and we will not complicate projects brought through the right channels. We must respect MoUs and respect the Constitution of Kenya’s requirement on public participation,” he said.

The Governor added that most of the projects are in sectors under the mandate of the County Government, which calls for coordination to guarantee their sustainability once handed over on completion.

Governor Lomorukai was speaking in a meeting with a delegation from the Joint Implementation Support Mission of the Eastern Africa Regional Transport, Trade and Development Facilitation Project and the Horn of Africa Gateway Development Project, at the County HQ today.

He said the involvement of the County Government, elected leaders and members of the community in engagements with South Sudan, will be crucial to unlock the impasse over the construction of the 11km Nadapal-Nakodok road.

The team was led by Project Coordinator Eng James Theuri and included World Bank Team Lead Susan Owuor, representatives from the Kenya Highway Authority (KeNHA), Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), consultants and contractors implementing the projects.

The Governor appreciated the support from the World Bank in developing the A1 road network in Turkana and stated that the region does not take for granted the impact of the infrastructure development on the economy.

He asked KeNHA to address concerns on the completion of the road to withstand heavy rains, the need for a flyover in Kakuma to aid ease of movement, restoration of the water supply system in Lodwar town cut-off during construction works and levelling of mounds of sand dumped along sections of the Lodwar-Kitale highway.

The county boss told KRA to fast-track the establishment of border posts in Lokiriama, Nadapal and Todonyang to boost the growing cross-border trade.

Eng Theuri informed the Governor that the road project will be completed in the next three months and thanked the County Government for its support.

World Bank Team Lead Susan Owuor appealed to the stakeholders to work together to complete the social infrastructure projects before the lapse of the project period at the end of 2023.

County Attorney Erastus Ethekon asked that stakeholders work under the Joint Steering Committee established through the MoU with KeNHA to improve coordination.

Others who spoke were Deputy Governor Dr John Erus, County Secretary Peter Eripete and CECM for Infrastructure Patrick Losike. Present in the meeting were Chief of Staff Peter Yoromoe and Chief Officer for Economic Planning John Korikel.