The plan to upgrade the 70-kilometre Kibiko-Kimuka-Suswa road that links Narok and Kajiado counties is underway. The upgrade will help control the floods experienced along the Narok-Mai Mahiu highway during the heavy rains.
Narok governor Samuel Tunai said he has asked President Uhuru to intervene through the Kenya National Highways Authority (KENHA) to construct the road to highway standards.
Speaking during the launch of the inter-border security operation with Tanzania, Tunai said the Ngong-Kibiko-Kimuka-Ewuaso-Enkidong-Suswa road, once upgraded, will offer motorists a shorter route to Narok County from Kajiado and will be an alternative route when the region experiences harsh weather conditions.
Presently, motorists travelling from Kajiado and Nairobi access Narok via Nakuru. Recently, travellers heading to and from Nairobi via the highway were stuck for “hours after the road was cut off by floods for the fifth time.” The road was cut off at Suswa near the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) construction area.
Residents claim the railway works are the major cause of flash floods in the area. Amos Lepaan, a resident of the area said the railway workers have diverted the water resulting in floods along the road.
One of the stranded travellers travelling to Nairobi for work said: “I’m not sure what to tell my employer. This is just sad.”
“We will be forced to go back to either Suswa or Narok to seek accommodation which would be an extra expense,” Stephen Bett, a lorry driver who had waited for hours for the floods to drop said.
The heavy rains being experienced in the region have made travelling to and from Mai Mahiu a nightmare since last month.
