A team of Sierra Leone Roads Authority (SLRA) officials have met with the Mayor of Kenema City Council (KCC) Chief Brima Kargbo and councilors at the council’s conference hall along Reservation road in Kenema.
In welcoming the SLRA personnel to Kenema city and the eastern region as a whole adding that the visit to Kenema was very important and timely.
Mayor Kargbo appealed to the SLRA team to include Kenema city on the list of priorities in their road development agenda as they embark on the nation’s road improvement network.
He disclosed that the motive of the visit of the SLRA officials was to comment on the road network system in the city.
Chief Kargbo maintained that the main desire of the people of this region is the improvement of the road network and therefore appealed to the SLRA team to come to the aid of the council by giving a face lift to the principal streets and roads in the city.
The road assessment Manager at the SLRA Madam Memunatu Jalloh commended the council for its development initiative. She highly praised the effort of Mayor Kargbo for his development agenda for Kenema city, adding that the SLRA will make sure that most of the roads in this provincial headquarter town is brought up to accessible standard.
She said the government has thought it necessary to improve on the road network system in the entire provincial headquarter towns and cities.
Madam Jalloh called on the council to speed up with the necessary plan of work to be submitted to SLRA. She said the SLRA will need the full cooperation of the Council so that the work will be fast tracked pointing out that as a government agent SLRA is prepared to serve the people of this country.
Replying to the Mayor’s opening address and his subsequent appeal on behalf of Kenema city, the regional engineer eastern province Walter Tucker expressed delight over the Kenema city council development programmes being implemented.
He told the gathering that the central government in Freetown has recommended the immediate construction of ten principal streets which are being selected to be tarred in the city of Kenema by the SLRA through the government’s development plan.
Some of these roads and streets to be tarred during their operation include Dama road, Hangha road, Hotel road, Blama road, Combema road, Massaquoi Street and Sumaila Street among others.
He assured the council that Madam Jalloh will do her best to ensure that the work is done perfectly.
In his contribution one of the engineers of SLRA Peter Comeh said they would include the stake holders in the development process by setting up committees and to inform the public about SLRA’s Plan of operation as the conditions are set so that the work will be done in record time.
Speaking during the meeting the administrative officer SLRA Kenema district Dauda Sheriff commended the city council as they are working in collaboration with SLRA for their road construction project. Mr. Sheriff assured the SLRA team that the council will embrace the whole project as they are preparing for development.
In her contribution the Deputy Mayor of Kenema City Council Margaret Adama Siaka assured the SLRA team of the council’s fullest support to the programme as they want Kenema to improve as a city.
Contributions were made by the head of budget and establishment committee councilor Yatta Sama, Chief Administrator Mustapha Koroma and councilor Mohamed Sesay.
The Human Resources Manager of the Kenema City Council Musa Salami Conteh made the closing courtesy.
By Saffa Moriba
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