Othaya town roads, bus park, jua kali sheds to get Sh1bn upgrade

The government will spend Sh1 billion to tarmac Othaya town roads, build a bus park and jua kali sheds.

Othaya MP Gichuki Mugambi said 20 kilometres of roads will be done in the town with 10km being within the business centre and the rest in the outskirts.

Already, a contractor has arrived on site while the second one is expected on the ground soon.

The MP said the roads will open up the town as it prepares to be upgraded to a municipality in two years.

“We have already redesigned the town to be a municipality perhaps in another one to two years. So we have expanded its boundaries and now we are doing new roads to open up the areas we have expanded up to,” he said.

He called on the contractor to give jobs to local youths to cushion them from Covid-19 shocks.

The roads, he said, will also play a major role in the transportation of farm produce to the market boosting the area economy.

“We hope the roads will have been completed in one year’s time. Both KURA and Kenya National Highways Authority (Kenha) are on the ground and we expect to have about 100 kilometres of roads done in the entire constituency,” he said.

He was speaking during the launch of roads construction by Kenya Urban Roads Authority in Othaya town on Friday.

The operationalisation of the Othaya Level 6 Hospital has brought many people into the town and therefore the need for expanding roads network in the area and the town itself, he said.

The arrival of more people, he said, has raised the demand for housing in the town and need for good infrastructure.

The hospital will have employed 1,300 by the time it is fully operational.  

Mugambi thanked the government for committing the money which he said will accommodate the needs of the level 6 facility.

“The hospital is expected to serve nine counties and therefore requires good infrastructure,” he added.

Teresa Warukira, a resident, said construction of the roads will enable them to transport farm produce from the farm to the town.

But she called on the government to also upgrade roads in rural areas to give motorists easy access.

Mary Wangari said the project will provide jobs to local youths most of whom lost work because of the Covid-19 pandemic.