Residents of two villages touching Kiambu and Murang’a Counties are now pleading to the government to promptly intervene and help them reconstruct a collapsed bridge that is at the verge of becoming a deathtrap.
The locals from Soya and Ngoliba villages in Gatanga and Thika town constituencies respectfully decried that their only means of crossing from one ridge to the other had collapsed thereby devastating their mobility.
They said that they have been exercising a delicate balance crossing flooded Thika river, a situation that has also crippled movement of their farm produce to various markets.
Led by Peter Munene, a boda boda rider, the residents noted with concern that rainy seasons most affect their operations as they also fear being marauded by deadly crocodiles while trying to cross the huge river.
Worst hit, Munene said, are school-going children who risk their lives every morning as they use boats to cross the deep river that is also heavily infested with hippos.
The busy boats have been left as the only viable mobility tools, crossing livestock, motorbikes, people and farm items from one side of the swollen river to the other.
Also of concern to the locals is the proximity between the crossing point and a waterfall which makes the flow of the water so rapid posing danger to the kids.
Residents said that situation has hampered their economic development due to incapacitated movements thereby rendering many people such as bodaboda operators jobless.
They decried that leaders have been making empty promises, every time they made their grievances and urged for prompt interventions to avert fatal consequences of the derelict bridge.
But speaking in Thika town, MP Patrick Wainaina revealed that the government has started the process of putting up a long-lasting bridge that is able to carry a weight of up to 15 tonnes thereby enabling even heavy vehicles to cross the river with ease.
The MP noted that the former bridge was swept by raging waters as it was semi-permanent but the government through Kenya Rural Roads Authority (Kerra) is doing everything possible to contain the situation.
Wainaina said that a new bridge will be built in a period of three months at a cost of Sh 25 million, a move that is expected to revive collapsed economic development of the area.