By Ibrahim Joenal Sesay
Happy New Month, folks! TRACE Joenal is excited about the new month, hoping it brings all the anticipated goodies. However, my thoughts go out to the residents of Murray Town, who have been suffering due to the neglect of their road, both in the dry and rainy seasons.
Two years ago, the residents were thrilled to hear that their road was among those the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) government had planned to construct. Work on the road began, but it was abruptly halted without any explanation from the government.
The then Minister of Finance, Jacob Jusu Saffa, who later became Sierra Leone’s Chief Minister, announced that the government would invest Le 349.4 billion in road works across the country. This announcement came with the approval of the supplementary budget for 2020.
Following this, the government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with four companies—First Tricon, Gento Construction, SECON, and CSE—to undertake the construction. The signing ceremony took place at the Ministry of Finance conference room in the presence of representatives from the Ministry of Finance, Sierra Leone Road Authority (SLRA), and the Ministry of Works and Public Assets.
A total of 41 critical roads across the country were earmarked for rehabilitation, including Murray Town, Leicester Road, AJ Momoh Street, and Mayenkineh in Western Urban. Other roads such as Bandajuma-Pujehun, Tiama-Njala University, and Momaligie Street were also part of the project.
The first phase of the project, primarily focusing on township roads, began in October 2020 but was abruptly stopped.
“This shows our commitment to infrastructure. As indicated in the supplementary budget, we want to put some money into public works,” Saffa said at the time.
He emphasized the importance of roads for the administration, linking them to Human Capital Development by improving access to schools, health facilities, and agricultural areas. He anticipated that up to 10,000 jobs would be created through the project.
Saffa assured that for the pavement of the roads, 25% of the total costs would be paid initially, with additional funds released only when the completed work matched the money disbursed. He warned contractors not to use the funds to settle arrears and stressed the importance of milestones to ensure the equivalence of work done and money spent.
The project announcement generated significant political enthusiasm, with the then Minister of Works and Public Assets, Peter Bayuku Conteh, emphasizing the government’s commitment to monitoring progress closely.
“Our government is focused on building better roads based on quality, value for money, and timely implementation. These three principles should guide your work going forward,” Conteh said.
Former SLRA Director General, Amara Kanneh, affirmed the rigorous selection process for contractors and expressed confidence in their capacity to complete the job, assuring that SLRA was prepared to monitor the project effectively.
“I want to assure you that we are up to the task; we have done that before and we can do it better this time around,” Kanneh said.
Despite these assurances, the road construction in Murray Town remains incomplete, leaving residents frustrated and enduring harsh conditions. The community awaits further action and communication from the government to address their plight.
TRACE Joenal is a regular column brought to you by Ibrahim Joenal Sesay, Copy Editor of SALONE TIMES NEWSPAPER, Bes Investigative and Human Right Reporting SLAJ awards winner and Advocate for Change in Sierra Leone.
You can follow him on www.232news.com, Twitter & Facebook @tracejoenal or E-Mail salonesij@gmail.com
