Kajiado residents decry nightmare state of Nkurunka road
Kajiado residents are up in arms over the deplorable state of Nkurunka Road, which serves as a bypass between the populous Kitengela and Ong’ata Rongai towns.
The 23-kilometre murram road cuts across residential homes and cement raw material quarries.
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The dilapidated road is characterised by huge potholes and choking billows of dust, to the frustration of its users. The situation has been worsened by raw sewage from nearby public institutions filling up the gaping potholes, making it a nightmare for motorists and boda boda riders.
Here, trucks are forced to manoeuvre their way through the bad road, prompting drivers to decry the high cost of vehicle repairs and fewer trips per day.
Drivers say they can only make three trips at most in a day compared to ten trips they used to manage before the road became dilapidated.
At least 2,000 lorries ply the route daily, supplying pozzolana and other raw materials to Athi River-based cement manufacturers.
The road remains a vital economic artery for both locals and the county government, as the area is a major source of construction materials, including building stones and murram.
“The only reason we are struggling to manoeuvre this road is because pozzolana is only available in Nkurunka quarries. The quarries are 17 km from Kitengela, and our customers are in Athi River, an additional two kilometres. The availability, quality, and location of the raw material are very convenient, but the poor road network has increased the cost of operation by a big margin. The road has reduced us to co-own our vehicles with mechanics. The rate of vehicle breakdowns caused by the poor road is alarming and becoming unsustainable by the day. At times, the profit margin cannot even repair the vehicle. I am even contemplating selling my lorry and looking for other means to earn a living,” Joel Munyao, a lorry owner, said.
Boda boda riders lament the high cost of business owing to the sorry state of the road.
“My pillion passenger must keep alighting at various points for me to cross some huge potholes filled with sewage water. Crossing some points with luggage is also a major challenge. Our customers are forced to pay double the amount for our services. Only a few of us have remained operating within this route because of continued losses incurred through costly and frequent motorbike repairs,” Ben Gesese, a boda boda rider, stated.
Locals and motorists are urging the relevant government bodies to repair the road and act against rogue institutions and landlords releasing raw sewage onto it.
“We are calling on concerned agencies to intervene. The potholes are too huge, and the sewage water is too much. Public health officials have totally failed us because the filthy sewage is a serious health crisis happening under their watch. Allowing rogue landlords to channel raw sewage onto the road is unacceptable,” Jane Nampaso, a resident of Nkurunka village, appealed.
A spot check on the road revealed that both traditional and online taxis have withdrawn services. Private saloon vehicles no longer ply the route due to the huge potholes.
