Tharaka Nithi residents have welcomed the road construction projects recently rolled out by President William Ruto’s administration saying it is going to significantly cut travel costs and time while also improving connectivity.
Citing the recently completed Chuka-Kathwana Road which the Kenya Kwanza administration revived and accelerated, the residents said that the nightmare that they have endured on the 7 kilometer road for many years was finally over.
According to Linet Mavitiru, the road projects link Chuka, Kathwana and Kaireni, noting that it was accelerated after Deputy President Kithure Kindiki visited the area last year and assured locals that the government was prioritizing infrastructure development to spur economic growth.
“Movement of people and goods has been made easy from construction of these roads. We appreciate these developments, because initially, we used to pay up to Sh800 to boda boda to go to Kathwana because the road was bad,” said Mavitiru.
“It now is cheaper because you only need a range of Sh50 to Sh 100 to go to Kathwana. We are also excited to see the ongoing tarmacking of the Kaanwa to Chuka Technical College section because it has been a big problem for many years,” she said.
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Although initially the road was about 7 kilometres long, Mavitiru who also doubles as the project supervisor said it was extended to 12 kilometres noting that the project comes as a huge relief to students, tutors, and workers of Chuka Technical and Vocational College who have been struggling with dust and mud.
She said that the project will spur economic growth and development in the area. “This project has simplified things for farmers and traders, making market access possible. The farmers had a challenge transporting their goods to the market initially, now with this road development it has become a sigh of relief to farmers,” she pointed out.
At the same time, she said that the road project has opened job opportunities for the youth with a number of them working with the contractor as masons and unskilled labourers.
“Initially, it was supposed to be a six kilometer road but it has been extended to twelve kilometers. We still hope for more road development. This will go a long way in enhancing movement of people and goods,” she said.
It is one of the stalled road projects that President Ruto recently revived across the country, she said.
Mr Martin Jaruba Alfas said: “The ongoing road projects have helped us the people in real estate like me. One, it’s very easy to convince a client that this is a growing area. Two, the availability of this road has contributed to price increase, so the people are able to get the value of their property.”
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Noting that the road projects are interconnecting, Alfas maintained that feeder roads connecting key markets like Kaanwa, Rukindu, Kathigiririni, Mariani Rukindu, Ndagani and Tabernacle have been upgraded and many places now accessible.
“Because they are interconnecting there is another Tarmac from Chuka General, Rukindu, Kathigiririni. And the road from Mariani will connect to Kaanwa Market. There is another Tarmac from Chuka Technical, Rukindu, Kathigiririni. This is from Mariani which connects to Kaanwa Market,” he stated.
Noting that key infrastructure projects have been accelerated since Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, who comes from the area took up the mantle, the real estate expert said things are taking a turn for the better.
“We thank Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, since assuming office he has done developments in Tharaka Nithi including ensuring this road is completed on the required timeline. Chuka-Karani road had been stalled for a long time. We have seen developments,” he added.
