Who “chopped” money for tarring of K’ba station road?

One year after the MINEPAT allocated over FCFA 545 Million for the tarring of two streets in Kumba, no work has been done on any of the streets.

By Doh Bertrand Nua in Kumba

Kumba inhabitants have continued going through muddy, dusty and bumpy streets despite a special allocation since one year ago by MINEPAT of the sum of FCFA 545.684.295 million for the tarring of some two streets in the city. The two streets are the one stretching from the CPDM hall junction at Kumba Town to the SDO’s residence at up-station, measuring 3.125 km, and another from ‘RTC’ junction at Buea road to Bonakama measuring 1.150 km.

            One year after this special allocation, work on these two streets is yet to be effective for the one or even kick started for the other.

            Apart from some grading work that was done on about 100 metres on the stretch from the ‘RTC’ junction towards Bonakama, nothing else has been done on the two streets.

            The stretch from CPDM hall to the SDO’s residence has worsened. Students trek to school with difficulty as the road is mapped by very large potholes and muddy rain water that retards movement.

            The Median gathered that the contractor who won the contract in Yaoundé to tar the stretch leading to the SDO’s residence is yet to begin the work perhaps because of her alleged links to the Presidency. We learned that she hurried and signed the contract papers in Kumba and later disappeared.

            Reports hold that she has been ignoring all calls coming from the project stakeholders in Meme.  She has also not responded to sundry query letters that have been addressed to her. 

            The rapid degradation of the roads has caused the population to rain criticisms on the management of the city council. Many fear that with the poor security situation, the money could be diverted elsewhere or to individual pockets.

            It should be recalled that the Meme SDO, in 2017, promised that by the end of 2018 the two roads would have been done. But with just four months to the end of the financial year, nothing has been done.

            In July this year, the committee to follow-up public investment projects in Meme issued a two weeks deadline for the city council to give clarifications about the delay. But nothing has been written or said in that light till today.

            Notification about the funds allocated for the roads was contained in Minepat communique No. 005345/L/MINEPAT/SG/DGPAT/ENF of 10th August 2017.

            The minister signed the release in response to complaints by the Kumba Government Delegate and the Meme SDO about the poor state of the roads in Kumba.

            By virtue of the ministerial communique, the Government Delegate had to contact the Divisional Delegate of Urban Development to ascertain the distances to be rehabilitated. FCFA 366 968 025 was allocated for the construction of the stretch from the CPDM hall to the SDO’s Residence and FCFA 166 716 270 million for the road from RTC junction to Bonakama. Another FCFA 36m and FCFA 16m respectively were allocated for the follow up of the work.