Machakos residents want road washed by floods weeks after tarmacking fixed

Machakos residents are demanding that Kincar – Zebra – Airways road be fixed after it was washed by floods.

The road which is in Mavoko in Machakos county was washed away by ravaging floods due to the ongoing rains pounding the country, weeks after being tarmacked.

The angry residents using the road on daily basis are now demanding that it be fixed as soon as possible.

They questioned the roads’ quality arguing that it was unbelievable for it to be washed away weeks after it was constructed.

Several sections of the tarmacked road have been washed away with numerous flooded potholes.

Motorists were struggling to maneuver the flooded road when the Star visited it on a fact-finding mission on Monday.

“This is where I live and do business to earn a living. We were told that the road will be tarmacked, they started tarmacking it only for it to be washed away by the floods,” Kincar resident Francis Mburu said.

They spoke to the Star during the visit on Monday.

“How can you construct a road without drainage? This flooding on the road is as a result of lack of drainage,” Mburu said.

“We demand that the road be redone afresh to reasonable quality,” another resident said.

The residents demanded the road be done to meet quality standards saying there were more qualified contractors in the county and its neighboring counties who could do a better job.

“Public funds must be well utilised, accounted for and protected. We can’t tolerate this kind of work,” he said.

The situation has led to some traders closing their businesses along the road claiming that their shops had been flooded with water.

Other traders had just opened their business premises and were removing water from the flooded structures during the spot check by this reporter.

Locals want drainage to be constructed on the road before the tarmacking continues as the destroyed sections are fixed by the contractor.

Machakos Governor Wavinya Ndeti on April 22, 2024 inspected the road’s construction.

“The tarmacking of Kincar – Zebra – Airways road in Muthwani ward, Machakos County is finally here. This great milestone is a testament to my government’s commitment to invest in improving local infrastructure in order to attract and retain investors. We are delivering on the promise,” Ndeti said then.

Motorists who spoke to the Star said sections of the road which had been swept away were an eyesore.

“The number of days I visit my local mechanic has increased due to frequent mechanical breakdowns of my car. We need this problem fixed once and for all, if it’s tarmacking of the road, let it be of quality, no politics in this,” a local said.

He cautioned the residents against politicicing the situation stating that the road was indeed in a pathetic condition hence had to be fixed using the same public funds used to construct the destroyed sections.

He said there was no need to proceed with the construction of other sections before the washed away ones were fixed and drainage constructed to avoid repeat of the same.