Mwea residents decry poor state of roads

Led by Michael Ngari, Rev. Gateru, Stephen Mukundi, Michael Chomba, Wickliffe Irungu, and James Mwai, the residents said the road becomes impassable during the rainy season, forcing sick children to be carried by hand to health facilities while pregnant women and other residents are transported using wheelbarrows.

“If it rains while someone is at Togonye Shopping Centre, they are forced to spend the night there because the road becomes unusable,” said Michael Ngari.

Ngari added that residents were mourning a person who allegedly drowned while attempting to cross River Kie due to poor infrastructure in the area.

Rev. Gateru noted that the area is a key agricultural zone producing miraa, tomatoes, and French beans, among other crops, yet farmers struggle to transport their produce whenever it rains.

Michael Chomba said traders in Togonye, Kanjinji, and neighbouring shopping centres face difficulties accessing goods during the rainy season.

“Despite the area being agricultural and having many quarries, we are still lagging behind. Murram is being transported to Ndia and Gichugu while our roads remain in a poor state,” Chomba said.

Boda boda operators also lamented the poor condition of the road, saying it has affected their businesses due to reduced accessibility and high fuel costs.

“I was coming from Kimbimbi to check on my passenger after we fell because of the bad road,” said boda boda rider Stephen Mukundi.

Residents acknowledged that construction work had begun at Karoti but complained that the project was progressing too slowly. They also raised concerns over the long diversion route to Kanjinji.

“We understand that it is raining, but the contractor should speed up the work to avoid the politics surrounding this road,” said resident Lucy Wanjiku.

Residents further claimed that successive leaders have repeatedly used the road as a campaign promise dating back to the late President Mwai Kibaki’s administration.