The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
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The High Court has stopped the rollout of the Sh2.1 billion road upgrade deal between the Nakuru County Government and the National Youth Service (NYS) until a legal challenge questioning its legality is resolved.
In a Wednesday ruling, the court classified as urgent a petition by activists Paul Muchiri and Kepha Omuyoma, who claim the county approved the multi-billion-shilling project without following proper procurement procedures or conducting mandatory public participation.
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The petitioners argued that the agreement, signed on November 7, was handled secretly and breached constitutional requirements on transparency, accountability and responsible use of public funds. They asked the court to issue conservatory orders blocking the county and NYS from executing the project until the petition is fully heard.
The judge granted the temporary orders and instructed the county and NYS to file their responses, with the matter scheduled for mention to confirm compliance and set future directions.
The order puts on hold what county leaders had promoted as a major partnership to improve roads across several wards through a mix of low-volume tarmac and gravel upgrades.
But opponents say the deal sidestepped open tendering and excluded the public from key decisions.
The dispute is likely to reignite debate over how counties handle procurement and the rising practice of county governments signing direct contracts with national agencies.
