Contractors in Homa Bay have told the county government to honour the promise to settle pending debts amounting to over Ksh480 million, failing which thy make good threats to paralyse activities of the regional authority.

Through their organisation known as Homa Bay County Contractors Association, the traders had earlier given an ultimatum to Governor Gladys Wanga’s government to pay up or face paralysis in operations of the facilities they had constructed for the county.

However, the contractors now say they have suspended their intention in favour of dialogue.

Addressing journalists at the county headquarters, Association Secretary General Kennedy Aloso said the contractors had resolved to dialogue instead of using the unorthodox means to resolve the payment stalemate.

Aloso said they have engaged the County Executive Committee Member for Finance Solomon Obiero who promised to pay them soon because the county had received money from the national treasury.

“We have decided to explore this matter through dialogue. Obiero has told us that they have money which they are going to pay us by the end of this week,” Aloso said.

He expressed hope that the CECM would keep his promise to pay.

Peter Brown, the association’s organising secretary called for prompt payments to promote peaceful co-existence between service providers, contractors and the county government.

“We expect the CECM to keep his promise so that we have good relations between contractors and the county government,” Brown said.

Florence Momanyi, a member, said they were languishing in debts after borrowing from financial institutions to do the county government’s work.

“We are not in any war with the county government but our desire is to get paid because most of us are undergoing financial difficulties,” Momanyi said.

The contractors are demanding the debt payment saying the bills accrued from the work they did from 2013 during former Governor Cyprian Awiti’s regime.

• A Tell Media / KNA report / By Davis Langat