Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has also blamed former president Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration for the infrastructural challenges at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport .
The recent heavy rains being experienced in the country have exposed the poor quality of work that was undertaken during the renovation of terminals at JKIA, Kenya’s most important gateway.
“JKIA was done at a massive cost, but today it’s a shame to the profession of engineers. Public resources were spent, and today we feel sorry. We may want to look at the law where professionals are held accountable for lapses, and probably they become capable criminally,” Gachagua stated.
Defending Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen’s assertion that rushed renovations during Uhuru’s tenure compromised standards, Gachagua criticized those opposing Murkomen, the DP said that most Kenyans are allergic to the truth, adding that a number of people have a problem with him for saying the truth.
“I’ve seen some people castigate CS Murkomen because of what he said about JKIA leaking roofs, that is the truth. JKIA was renovated at a massive cost, but today it is a shame, public resources were used but when you go there, you feel sorry,” he said.
While inaugurating the 30th Engineers of Kenya Convention in Mombasa, the DP has also expressed concern about the rising number of unqualified individuals posing as engineers in the country.
Gachagua asserted the importance of cracking down on quacks in the engineering profession, urging the need for accountability among professionals.
He lamented the current state of JKIA, saying it brings shame to the engineering and architecture professions.
THIS AS Kenya Airports Authority Managing Director Henry Ogoye says the airport has suffered inadequate facility and infrastructure capacity upgrades in the last 10 years.
He however said the government has commenced the process of addressing infrastructure development of the facility.