Nyandarua cries for good roads

After decades of enduring bad roads, residents of Nyandarua are set to enjoy good services, with tarmacked roads.

 The road project will spend Sh10 billion for construction and maintenance, to bring to an end the suffering the population has gone through for decades.

Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA) Central Regional Engineer Willy Mburu said 250km of projects have been awarded to contractors to open up the agriculture rich county.

Awarding of the project follows residents' continued protests to national and county governments citing transportation of their farm produce to the market has been a night mare due to poor road infrastructure. Ndaragwa Constituency,  that had only 20 kilometres under tarmck  will have additional 105 kilometres,

“Upgrading to Bitumen standards and performance-based routine maintenance of 55km Ndaragwa-Maili Kumi/ Ndaragwa-Kanyagia-Subuku/Ndaragwa Ngamini-Uruko roads including Karagoine-Wakahot centre-Leshau Boys School-Pesi- Kilimanjaro to Shamata roads has commenced at a cost Sh. 2.037 billion.

“The same contractor China Railway No.10 Engineering Group, will also undertake the tarmacking of 50km Maili Kumi-Subuku-Sipala-Shamata-Kariamu including Shamata township roads and Mairo Inya-Shauri-Salama roads, to be completed in April 2023,” added Mburu.

 He noted that Shs.1.7 billion will be spent on the project in Ndaragwa constituency.

Captain-Wanjohi-Ndunyu Njeru road which was abandoned two years ago, immediately after a contractor was awarded will be evaluated and handed over to a new constructor.

“The contractor undertaking the tarmacking of the 23km Gilgil-Machinery road that will connect Gilgil town to Ol Kalau- Njambini road at Machinery centre, is yet to start as he sites delays by the Treasury to exempt duty on plants equipment and materials that he hopes to import for the works,”  he said.

Nyandarua County Commissioner Boaz Cherutich, who chairs County Development Implementation and Coordination Committee (CDICC), regretted the slow mobilization on the roads saying the residents were suffering especially during the rains that characterized the region.

“The contractors should hasten the construction space  for the residents to enjoy good road networks,” said Cherutich.

Roliongo Kagaa- Kaptain loop as well as the Tumaini-Kanyariri roads, were near completion to the satisfaction of the CDICC.

 At the same time Kenya National Highways Authority (KENHA) has also contracted maintenance works on Ndundori-Njambini road with the replacement of a collapsed bridge at Kariamu underway at a cost of Shs.55 million.

“The rehabilitation of the 37km Gilgil-Ol Kalou is underway and the contractor is expected to complete the works in 36 months. The Ol Kalou-Nyahururu stretch has been re-tendered and the contractor will move on site once approved and handed over the road,” said Eng Newton Itobi.

 The county received Shs.156m through the Fuel Levy Funds for the year 2019/2020, to be equally distributed among its five constituencies in road maintenance works.

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