Thika Town gets Sh1 billion for roads
The national government has injected Sh 1.7 billion for construction of roads in Thika, Kiambu County.
The government through Kenya Urban Roads Authority (Kura) in a tender notice published in the local dailies plans to spend Sh 1,798,000,000 for tarmacking and recarpeting of various roads in the busy town.
Among the roads are Gatuanyaga-Munyu-Kang’oki road covering upto 18 kilometers which will be lifted to bitumen standards at a cost of Sh 1 billion giving a sigh of relief to residents who have over the years suffered over poor road network in the area.
The road, according to (Kura) design will stretch from Gatuanyaga Junction (A3) towards Munyu, via Githima and will exit at the infamous Kang’oki dumpsite.
Already, the authority has completed the road survey work.
Thika town Central Business District and its environs will also be recarpeted in a range of 13 kilometers at a cost of Sh 700 million.
Residents, leaders and business people have following the publication of the notice acclaimed the government for the kind gesture which they said will spur economic development in the industrious town.
Led by area MP Patrick Wainaina, the town dwellers asserted that opening the area’s economy will not only ease the cost of doing businesses but will further lure more investors and thereby create more job opportunities for the youth.
“We have aggressively lobbied and we now thank the government for listening to our cries. The major road infrastructure upgrade will ensure movement within the Thika Central area has been enhanced and the face of the Thika Town uplifted,” said Wainaina.
Residents of Komo, Githima and Gatuanyaga have in the past been staging demonstrations to protest the deplorable state of roads in the area claiming that dust produced by the poor roads has been causing health problems mostly among the elderly persons.
“Announcement for construction of this road brings to an end a long journey we have fought with various government agencies and leaders. Indeed we have been abandoned for a long time and opening up this area through good infrastructural developments means so much to us. We thank the government and other players for the interventions made to make this possible,” Michael Macharia Mwangi, a resident of Gatuanyaga said.
