This archive report was first published on 16 September 2019.
Published on September 16, 2019, a tragic incident unfolded in Nyandarua County when a family was forced to use a donkey-drawn cart to transport the body of their loved one home for burial.
Alice Njoki Njoroge, who passed away after an illness, was laid to rest in Kirima village, Ol Bollosat location in Shamata Ward. The family had hired a hearse with a detached cart for the coffin, anticipating the poor state of the roads in the county would necessitate the use of donkeys to complete the journey.
However, the hearse got stuck in the impassible road along the way, and the body had to be shifted to a donkey-drawn cart. The incident sparked outrage, with the deceased's mother, Esther Mugure, expressing her disappointment and frustration.
'I am not happy that my daughter's body is being ferried home for burial on a donkey cart due to impassable roads. No one would wish this to happen to one of their relatives,' she cried.
Local resident James Mwangi also shared his concerns, stating that the poor state of the feeder roads in the area had led to losses for farmers as their produce went to waste due to delayed delivery to markets.
Despite the challenges, Nyandarua roads Executive Ndung'u Wangenye assured that a number of roads in the region had been graveled and repaired. He attributed the delay in completing the work to the heavy rains in areas like Shamata and Kinangop, which had forced contractors to stop work.
'They are still on site and are waiting for the rains to subdue for them to resume work,' he said. The Executive also revealed that about Sh3 million had been set aside for gravelling of the roads across Shamata ward.
