Construction of Ksh. 1 billion road in Gatuanyaga ward of Thika, Kiambu County may experience further delays after the contractor expressed concerns over poor drainage and sewerage systems in the area.
Residents regretted that the first tarmac road in the area since independence which was earlier expected to be complete in 30 months could delay due to the derelict state of water and raw sewage pathways.
The 24-kilometer Gatuanyaga ring road is expected to stretch from Muguga-Ngurai-Munyu-Githima-
Besides previous road encroachment concerns, residents said that Interways Works Ltd, the road contractor also expressed fears over poor water flow systems in the area that could hamper the construction process.
They decried that the poor road network in the area has been a major impediment to security and access to essential services such as health.
Led by Gacheru Njau, the locals lamented that the deplorable state of roads in the area has also made it difficult for police to make crucial patrols during the day and at night as their vehicles can hardly maneuver the terrain.
Cecilia Nyambura, an elderly woman from the area regretted that they have been finding it hard to access hospitals especially for expectant mothers who need urgent medical attention. Nyambura said that despite making numerous pleas to the relevant government agencies, nothing has been done to rehabilitate the poor state of the area’s infrastructure.
For anyone to access the remote villages such as Githima and Kang’oki, locals are forced to use motorbikes and even at that, the riders are compelled to use safer routes.
When journalists visited the villages to highlight the locals’ concerns, Kenya Broadcasting Corporation’s (KBC) cameraman Anthony Kioko and Royal Media’s correspondent Moses Ngige came face to face with the daily movement challenges that locals grapple with daily.
The motorbike they were riding on slipped in the muddy waters mixed with raw sewage dirtying them alongside exposing their tools of work to danger.
During the pegging of the road corridor a few months ago, area MP Patrick Wainaina said that tarmacking of the road network in Gatuanyaga area will not only help ease traffic along the busy Garissa road but will also make the far-flung area habitable thereby reducing housing challenges in Thika town.
Gatuanyaga ring road is expected to be a Class B road, 6.5 meters wide with provision for pedestrian walkways and a lane for cyclists, able to withstand heavy trucks that ferry stones from quarries in the area.
It is hoped to open up the region for investments, boost trade and spur the region’s economy.