Kasarani road turns into ‘swimming pool’ after contractor abandons site
Residents using the Kasarani-Mwiki road have for weeks now been forced to alight matatus at Maternity area due to the poor state of road.
The contractor in charge of rehabilitating the road has left an open pit in the middle of the road that is now filled with flood water from the ongoing rains.
Residents have christened the section, “Mwiki swimming pool.”
Motorists using the road have been forced to create alternative routes on the sidewalks that have slowed down traffic in the area.
A matatu driver plying the route complained that the ‘swimming pool’ has reduced his daily trips from ten to eight.
‘REFUND PASSENGERS’
“Sometimes I’m forced to make a u-turn at Maternity and refund the passengers Sh20 when I find a car stuck in the muddy sidewalk,” the driver told Nairobi News.
Ben Kimani, a resident of Sunton, Kasarani, told Nairobi News he has been walking to Maternity area every day to avoid the inconvenience of getting stuck in the traffic.
“It’s better to just walk then take a matatu after the ‘swimming pool’ because either way you will be stuck for at least 30 minutes during rush hour,” Kimani explained.
“The last two trips in the evening are usually our commission and so we have been suffering and only forced to survive on the little daily wage given to us by the matatu owner,” a matatu conductor explained.
The Kasarani-Mwiki road was rehabilitated in 2015 at a cost of Sh500 million after protests by residents.
A year after the rehabilitation, the road was again filled with potholes and was repaired.
The road developed fresh potholes beginning of this year.