Angry residents of Juja are calling on the government to erect a footbridge at an accident blackspot along the Thika superhighway where speed bumps were recently removed.
The residents mainly from Gachororo and Highpoint areas decried the frequency of accidents in the area in which a number of pedestrians have lost their lives after being hit by vehicles while crossing the highway.
About three months ago, the Kenya Highways Authority (KenHA) removed bumps at the Highpoint crossing and sealed off the area with grills and barbed wire. Some of the residents have been reportedly jumping over the barriers to cross the road.
Recently, a secondary school student was knocked down and killed by a speeding car as she crossed the road, causing fury among locals.
The protesters said the move has led to the closure of small businesses in the area as many customers no longer pass there while young children are forced to walk far to reach school.
“We have suffered huge losses as our customers don’t come here anymore. We want local leaders including our Governor and aspirants to address our plight,” Veronica Wangui, who runs a food kiosk, said.
Commuters lamented that they were badly inconvenienced as the nearest footbridge is more than two kilometres away and people had to meet an extra cost by paying Boda Bodas to get to their destinations.
The area has a large population of students from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology who have to cross the highway to access their hostels.
Aloise Kinyanjui, an aspirant for the Juja parliamentary seat asked the government to consider replacing the bumps temporarily and building a footbridge as a permanent solution.
