Meru Senator Kathuri Murungi has revealed that President William Ruto’s car hit a huge pothole and stalled along the Embu – Meru highway over the weekend, blaming the Kenya National Highway Authority (KeNHA).
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, January 30, the Senator explained that the vehicle hit a ditch leading to a tyre burst and ultimately forcing the presidential motorcade to stop.
According to the senator, the situation would have been more serious for the head of state if the motorcade was driving downslope.
Murungi regretted that such an incident could take place, especially putting the life of the president in danger.
“When the president was here in Meru last weekend, the vehicle that was feryying him hit that ditch and forced the vehicle to stop there. If the president is also in danger on our roads, who is safe?
“I felt so sorry for the president, especially seeing his vehicle hit the pothole and the tyre burst. So, you can imagine what could have happened if we were moving downhill?” he lamented.
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Senator Murungi Pleads With KeNHA
Further, Murungi blamed the Kenya National Highway Authority (KeNHA) for the incident noting that the road was poorly constructed and had not been maintained despite disbursement of funds for that purpose.
Also, he questioned the individuals awarded tenders by the authority to construct and maintain the roads adding that KeNHA should come clean if there are any monkey business going on.
Senator Murungi called on the KeNHA DG to visit Meru and the surrounding counties to get a glimpse of the dire situation on the roads adding that the state of the infrastructure was endangering the lives of Kenyans.
“It is very unfortunate that this is the state of this road when there is a lot of money, budget has been given to the Kenya National Highway Authority (KeNHA). They have also been given so much money for maintenance, but the people they are giving tenders to are not diligent.
“Are they giving those tenders to themselves to save on that money? Because we do not understand. I am pleading with the KeNHA director general, please visit Meru and see the terrible state of our roads. We are taxpayers and if we are suffering like this then you will have to explain to us why you are in office,” he added.
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Ledama Laments After After Spending Entire Night Stranded
This is not the first time KeNHA has been put on the spot this year for poorly maintained roads.
In a separate incident on January 13, Narok Senator Ledama Olekina recorded a video early in the morning to address Roads Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen.
The Senator had spent an entire night stranded by a roadside alongside other motorists after a road they were meant to use was marooned by floods following heavy rainfall.
“This is where I spent the night. This is the road that connects Narok County and the republic of Tanzania and the road that passes through the home of the Cabinet Secretary for Environment Soipan Tuya.
“I am appealing to you to consider building a huge bridge here even before upgrading this road to better standards.
Please Kipchumba Murkomen consider upgrading this road. Build a bridge here so that motorists can easily pass across to the other side when it rains,” he lamented.
