The county government is on the spot for stopping the construction of a key road in Thika Town Constituency.
Residents of Landless estate in Kamenu Ward have accused the county of stopping the construction of Thika-Garissa-Pakjel-Munyu road halfway. The busy road has been in a pathetic condition for years.
According to Irene Nyambura, the about 5km road is a vital as its links the estate to Thika-Garissa highway and nearby Munyu and Komo villages. Nyambura said no reason was given for stopping the construction.
“We just saw construction materials being removed. When we demanded answers, we were told there was no money to continue with the work,” said Nyambura. She said their numerous pleas to the county government to finish the remaining part of the road done has fallen on deaf ears.
“We were shocked when we went to see Department of Roads officials when one of them told us to partner with the county through public–private-partnership to fix the remaining part,” she said.
Mr Peter Mbugua another residents said locals had been suffering due to the remaining part of the road which is impassable.
Rainy season
Mr Peter Mbugua said the coming rainy season will render the road completely impassable. “Whenever it rains, this place becomes impassable.
Residents who own vehicles leave them about a kilometre from their homes. The black cotton soil makes things even worse,” said Mbugua.
The road is also used by trucks heading to quarries located in Munyu and Komo villages. “The county usually collects levies daily from trucks ferrying stones from the quarries. We are therefore wondering why the administration has not fixed this important road,” he said.
Patrick Chege complained about poor drainage system. He also attributed rising insecurity in the area to the poor road network and lack of security lights. “We are contemplating suing the county government for failing to complete construction of the road which we consider very crucial to us,” he said.
The residents are also planning demonstrations to push for the construction. However, the county Chief Officer in charge of Roads Henry Wahinya said the construction was stopped due to lack of funds.
“There is no money at the time. We will eventually see whether we will give budgetary allocation for the construction of the remaining part of the road,” said Mr Wahinya.
Kamenu Member of County Assembly Raphael Chege called on residents to be patient as the county seeks money to complete the work.
“I want to tell the residents that even Rome was not done in one day. They should be patient and I assure them that eventually the road will be fixed,” said Mr Chege. He said the county had not given tender for the entire road.
SOURCE: standardmedia.co.ke
