Waiguru rehabilitates 225kms of road under Nyorosha Barabara Mashinani program
Kirinyaga County Governor Anne Waiguru has already rehabilitated 225 km of roads of the 500 km earmarked for this financial year under the Nyorosha Barabara Mashinani program. The rehabilitation which includes grading and gravelling involves rural access roads among them ones in the expansive Mwea irrigation scheme.
The governor has said that the roads rehabilitation program is aimed at achieving well drained all-weather roads within Kirinyaga County, in order to enhance accessibility across the county and aid smooth movement of produce from the farms to the markets. Waiguru launched Nyorosha Barabara Mashinani program during her last term where she managed to murram about 500km and grade more than 2,500 others.
Earlier this month when she flagged off the county’s in-house road construction equipment, Waiguru promised that the department of roads will work around the clock to ensure that the targets set are met and pledged to ensure that the equipment was in good condition and fuelled as required. The County Executive Committee Member for Roads, Transport, Public Works, Housing and Infrastructure, Jared Migwi, said that out of the 225km covered so far, 105km have been murramed while the rest have been graded. Graveling of the rest is ongoing. “We intend to have completed the 500kms by next month so as to ensure the roads are accessible and that farmers are able to transport their produce to the markets during the expected long rains” said Jared.
The county residents have welcomed the ongoing program saying that it will go a long way in reducing cost of production for farm produce since it will be cheaper to transport farm inputs to the farms and their produce to the market. Speaking during a site visit to one of the roads under rehabilitation in Kariti Ward, the area MCA Jeremiah Makimi, said that the promises made to the electorate during the campaigns are now being fulfilled and he is happy to do play his part as roads in the ward get rehabilitated.
“For a long time the roads in Kariti have been impassable during the rainy seasons. I am pleased that together with Governor Waiguru, we are finally going to get well drained all weather roads not just in my ward but across the county”, said Makimi. Erastus Gathumbi, another resident of Kariti said that they are happy because Governor Waiguru has gone back to fulfil her election campaign pledges where she promised to improve the state of their roads.
To improve on efficiency of the in-house roads program, Waiguru during her last term procured road construction equipment that include five graders, 10 trucks-20tons, two excavators, one low bed/loader, one backhoe, two roller-compactors and one water bowser.
