- Residents have expressed hopes that President William Ruto will order the repair of the road
- Matatu operators said using longer routes have been eating into their profits
Image: Alice Waithera
President William Ruto is set to visit Murang’a on Friday to commission development projects in Kiharu and Gatanga constituencies.
Among the projects are the Kiriani Murang’a road, which has been recarpeted.
The road runs from Murang’a town, through Kiriaini, to Kairo shopping centre in Mathioya.
Works on the road, which is under the Kenya National Highways Authority, started in 2019.
It connects Murang’a and Nyeri to Nairobi and is preferred by motorists travelling to Othaya and Mukurwe-ini because it is shorter and has less traffic, compared to the Thika-Sagana-Nyeri highway.
The tender was awarded to two contractors who were to work on the road from both ends.
One started from Murang’a town to Mugeka shopping centre in Kiharu constituency and took about four years to complete the 13km stretch.
The other contractor started from Kairo shopping centre in Mathioya and was to complete the project at Mugeka shopping centre.
But the contractor left the site in 2021, due to delays in disbursement of funds by the government.
The stalled works affected Gaitheri, Kiambugi, Gakurwe and Kamacharia shopping centres, which are along the 20km stretch that was left undone.
It was a relief for residents when roadworks resumed in June last year, after the government set aside Sh598 million to complete the project.
The road was also transferred from Kenya Rural Roads Authority to Kenha.
The torrential rains experienced earlier this year however caused damage and in April, part of the road from Murang’a town to Mugeka was closed.
Kenha said its embankment had collapsed in five points between the two towns, causing significant damage to the road and posing a serious risk to motorists and pedestrians.
The authority then directed traffic from Kiriaini to Mugeka-Kaweru junction-Gakonya, for those travelling towards Murang’a town.
Travellers heading to Kiriaini were advised to use the longer Murang’a-Kangema-Kiriaini route, or the Murang’a-Gatiba junction-Gitugi-Kiriaini route.
Joseph Wachira, a resident of Mugeka, said they have suffered since part of the road was closed, as they had to pay more to get to Murang’a town.
“Most of us opt to pay boda bodas that can access the closed part of the road to save time,” he said.
The closure also took a toll on the economy of surrounding areas.
With the President’s visit, Wachira was optimistic that he will issue a directive for the road to be repaired, so normalcy can return in the area.
John Kamau, a driver of a matatu plying Murang’a Kiria-ini route, said they sometimes used the closed part of the road as the longer routes eat into their profits.
“The alternative routes provided are too long which is bad for business. Even passengers want us to use the road so they can get home faster. We are worried because we have not even seen engineers surveying the damage,” he said.
The President will also commission Last Mile electricity projects at Marewa and Kambirwa markets and Mitarakwa-HaPaulo- Mbari ha Hiti road in Gatanga.
Ndunyu Chege modern market and Gatanga Water project, that will channel water from Ndaka-ini dam to local homes, will also be commissioned.