Residents of Mbeere North Constituency in Embu County are upbeat following approval of construction of a 45 km link road to bitumen standards at a cost of Sh3.2 billion by the National Government.
The Gikuyari-Karambari-Kirie-Mugwanjogu-Karerema-Ishiara road links the three wards of the constituency namely Muminji, Nthawa and Evurore and is set to spur economic growth in the area.
The road whose construction is set to commence by the end of this year is also expected to open up the area for business and transport to the neighbouring counties of Meru and Kitui.
The news was relayed to the residents by immediate former MP Geoffrey Ruku who was recently appointed as Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Public Service, Human Capital Development and Special Programmes through his social media pages.
Residents especially from Muminji Ward have termed the development as historical as the area has never had even an inch of tarmac road since independence.
Led by local leader Joab Konji, the residents recounted the hardships they faced especially during the rainy season when the road is totally rendered unmotorable due to flooding, mud and erosion.
Three years ago, 11 elderly people died after a bus they were travelling in plunged into flooded Thura River in the area that residents attributed to the poor state of the road.
“We have waited for this since time immemorial. We have witnessed a situation where national examination papers had to be delivered by a helicopter due to the deplorable state of the road,” he lamented.
Another resident David Mugo said the road has made transportation of people and goods difficult and costly hampering economic growth of the area.
“The poor road has exacerbated existing challenges stemming from harsh climatic and limited resources associated with the area classified as semi-arid,” he said.
He noted that farmers who cultivate muguka which is one of the main cash crops from the area were forced to sell at lower prices due to higher transportation cost thus reducing their overall profitability.
Youth leader Collins Kithweri said majority of youth in the boda boda sector have had their business affected due to regular breakdowns of their motorcycles while others have ended up suffering injuries occasioned by falls.
By Samuel Waititu
