The Mountain Journal
Reprieve to tea roads as petitioners seek exemption from levies on maintaining materials in a petition lodged at the Murang’a County Assembly.
In the petition the farmers in Karitu village, Kangari ward want tea factories to be exempted from the levies charged on road construction materials.
Tea growers David Muturi and Eutychus Ngechu seek the charges on quarry waste, murram and gravels be exempted as they help in the transportation of green leaf to factories for processing.
In the petition dated January 23, they pleaded with the county assembly to enact a policy that will exempt tea factories and farmers in Tea growing zones from paying any fees, charges and levies for construction materials like quarry waste, gravel and murram.
They also ask they be provided with a schedule of all Tea Zone County Roads in Murang’a detailing how they should be maintained.
“The permanent or seasonal absence will act as a crucial factor in terms of access of rural community basic services such as tea transportation from farmers to factories, primary health care, local markets and other social economic opportunities.
“Maintaining of the rural access roads is a responsibility of the county government especially in tea growing zones in the county.
They said there should be a system in place to alleviate the deteriorating road maintenance network and ensure that road construction materials are available by the county government to tea farmers to construct and maintain rural roads in tea growing zones.
Deputy Speaker Moses Gachui directed the petition be handled by the Transport Committee for a period of 60 days.
“This a crucial petition from the tea zone which should be heard by the concerned committee and report back to the assembly as scheduled,” said Gachui, the Kihumbu-ini MCA.
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