The construction of the Nairobi Expressway is underway and the Kenya National Highways Authority is clearing the structures standing on the sites where the project will pass through.
The trees that have been standing along part of Waiyaki Way have been cut down, which has caught Nairobians and motorists using the route by surprise.
Some protested the move through the social media, circulating the photo of an iconic fig tree that has been there for decades.
The protests caught the attention of the authority which promised the fig tree will be transplanted and be relocated to a new location as part of environmental conservation.
This iconic fig tree sits right at the center of the Nairobi Expressway operation area. We have planned to transplant and relocate the tree to a new location as part of our environmental conservation efforts. pic.twitter.com/We8Rij9U84
— Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) (@KeNHAKenya) October 1, 2020
Premises at the Nairobi Railways Club were last month demolished to pave way for the expressway.
Also, the authority has removed St Mark's bridge in Westlands.
President Uhuru Kenyatta launched the project last year, a first of its kind in Kenya.
The four-lane dual carriageway project will be implemented by KeNHA.
The project connects the Nairobi-Mombasa section and the Nairobi-Malaba section.