This archive report was first published on 11 September 2019.
Residents of Mioro and Njumbi in Murang'a County have endured poor road conditions for over three decades, with sections becoming no-go zones during rainy seasons and extreme dust during the dry season.
Locals along the Saint Mary-Gitugi-Mioro road have watched as their produce rot in the farms due to lack of reliable transport to the market.
Expectant women and the sick were often forced to trek long distances to access ante-natal services and medical care, with milk and farm produce often going to waste because vehicles could not access villages during rainy seasons.
However, there is light at the end of the tunnel as works on the county's major transport artery nears completion, with Nyoro Construction Company officials stating that they are doing finishing touches and the road should be completed by December.
When the road project started 31 years ago, the Government had not even set up the three agencies that manage the country's roads, or established the Kenya Roads Board.
Construction has dragged on through several changes of government, promulgation of the Constitution, and establishment of county governments, with political intrigues surrounding the road's construction.
After Firoze Construction abandoned the project, Nyoro Construction was awarded the project in 2012, but the company quickly ran into problems after residents refused to remove fences and other structures on the road reserve.
Utility firms like Kenya Power and Gatamathi Water Company also delayed the project after failing to promptly relocate electrical and water lines.
Transport CS James Macharia inspected the Sh2.1 billion project in 2017 and directed that the works be split into two, with the project being divided into the Saint Mary-Gitugi section, handled by Nyoro Construction, and the Njumbi-Mioro seven-kilometre section handed to a Chinese contractor.
Michael Kariuki, a director at Nyoro Construction, stated that the design review was among issues that caused delays, with the project costs not being reviewed despite design changes in the contract period.
Delayed payment and lack of suitable materials were also among the hurdles faced by the company at the initial stage.
County Commissioner Mohammed Barre visited the project as part of a monitoring programme, stating that the completion of the road will give Kenyans value for money.
Kenya Rural Roads Authority Central Region Manager Joseph Wanjohi said strategies were in place to ensure the project was completed as scheduled, with the contractor currently working on a bridge that will connect the project to St Mary-Irima road.
The project has eased transportation of goods in the upper parts of Murang'a town, bringing relief to residents who have suffered through poor road conditions for over three decades.
