Works Minister commends Swaby’s road patching programme but calls for transparency

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister with responsibility for Works Robert Nesta Morgan is commending the Mayor of Kingston, Andrew Swaby, for the patching programme announced recently.

While commending the initiative, Morgan, in a statement on Friday, highlighted what he described as fundamental inconsistencies and a lack of public accountability in the handling of parochial road infrastructure by People’s National Party (PNP) municipal leaders.

“For months, Mayor Swaby and other mayors have publicly argued that municipal corporations are severely underfunded and lack the resources needed to maintain the community and parochial roads under their statutory responsibility. However, Mayor Swaby recently announced an emergency road-patching programme under which the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) is diverting municipal funds to patch major thoroughfares managed by the National Works Agency (NWA),” Morgan said.