KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister with responsibility for Works, Robert Nesta Morgan, has expressed disappointment at what he says are contradictory and misleading statements made by Mayor of Kingston and Chairman of the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC), Andrew Swaby, regarding the establishment of the One Road Authority.

Morgan described as “factually misleading” a May 13 statement made by Swaby at a KSAMC, where he claimed: “It is still not clear how the establishment of the One Road Authority will address the issue of inadequate financial resources for local authorities. There has been no clear indication on how municipal corporations will gain access to increased allocations needed to properly maintain and rehabilitate roads under our responsibility.”

Morgan also pointed to further complaints that local authorities “are simply not funded at the level that allows us to properly maintain roads under our care.”

READ: Swaby reiterates concerns about One Road Authority

Maintaining that the remarks are not only factually misleading but represent a clear case of political hypocrisy, Morgan said in May 2020, while serving as minority leader and a PNP Councillor at the KSAMC, Swaby himself proposed a straightforward local solution to the funding challenges.

Morgan noted that at that time, Swaby and fellow Councillor Dennis Gordon tabled a resolution calling on the KSAMC to authorise the finance committee to approve an increased annual allocation of $12 million per division.

He said this was to be drawn from the existing Parochial Revenue Fund (PRF) subvention.

Morgan noted that Gordon was chairman of the KSAMC’s Finance Committee up to December 2024, and Swaby’s administration now receives approximately 42 per cent more from the PRF when compared to his predecessor.

“Mayor Swaby had the perfect opportunity to implement his own 2020 proposal. He was sworn in as mayor and chairman of the KSAMC on March 12, 2024, more than two years ago, and has held executive leadership of the corporation ever since. Yet, under his watch, there has been no evidence of the increased divisional allocations he once championed, nor has he delivered the improved road conditions he promised Kingston and St Andrew residents,” Morgan said.

“Instead, he now chooses to shift blame to the Central Government and the newly proposed One Road Authority. This is a classic case of passing the buck. The One Road Authority is not a funding agency designed to magically solve local budgetary shortfalls,” he said.

Morgan reiterated the core mandate of the authority, which he said is to: establish and enforce a single national standard for road works across the island; eliminate fragmentation and duplication between multiple agencies; regulate standards, quality assurance, and performance monitoring for all roads – national and parochial; and ensure every taxpayer dollar delivers safer, higher-quality roads through modernised governance.

Morgan claimed that Swaby’s refusal to take ownership of the solutions he once proposed, combined with his apparent misunderstanding of the ORA’s role, does a disservice to the residents of Kingston and St Andrew who continue to travel on substandard parochial roads.

“The Government remains committed to working with all local authorities that demonstrate good governance, fiscal prudence, and a willingness to deliver results. The establishment of the One Road Authority represents a bold, long-overdue reform to modernise Jamaica’s road sector and deliver better infrastructure for all Jamaicans,” he said.