A month ago, we highlighted a story on the Gitaru interchange in Kikuyu Constituency, Kiambu, that has been a sore point of contention for both residents and commuters alike.
The government released plans for the proposed project back in 2019 but there has been little progress made since, leaving residents frustrated and concerned about the increasing traffic congestion and accidents in the area.
On 22nd April 2024, the Kikuyu MP, Kimani Ichung’wah, announced that work on the interchange has now begun.
“The newly constructed infrastructure not only promises to reduce congestion but also ensures the efficient movement of traffic along the major transport corridor of the Southern Bypass, Waiyaki Way (A104) and the Western Bypass, making access to Kikuyu town much easier and a seamless connectivity among the three highways connecting at Gitaru.”
He shared this on his personal Facebook page and the residents of the area had the following reactions:
Njenga G
“Am used to the saying.. “The contractor is already on sight/site” lakini matunda huwa sioni..”
- Mwathi
This is good news to my ears.
It was long overdue.
I hope the construction will not stall until completion.
God’s speed.🙏
Milly D
Finally!! They are on site……. thanks muheshimiwa for the update. Gitaru has been such a nightmare with those trucks negotiating corners🙆🏽🙆🏽
Njoroge J
That’s good progress but the completion of A104 from waiyaki way to kamandura should be a priority ,the underspaasses are impassible and many car owners have had to buy new engines for their vehicles after getting their vehicles trapped in those underpasses ,kindly lobby hard for the road to completed including the pedestrian footbridges because school going children who can use the underpasses have to cross the roads which is very risk
In an earlier, separate post on X (formerly known as Twitter), Cabinet Secretary in charge of transport, Kipchumba Murkomen, while responding to a post by Senior Counsel, Paul Muite, in which he pointed out that all the under-passes between Uthiru and Rironi were flooded, stated thus:
“James Gichuru to Rironi underpasses do flood because their respective outfall drains have not been completed.”
He went on to say,
“The James Guchuri -Rironi (sic) road has an active development contract with a huge pending bill. As you may be aware we have unfinished roads all over the country with a cumulative pending bill of KShs 165B. Under the law a road with active development contract can’t be allocated maintenance funds. At the same time the contractor is waiting some payment to resume site.
Because of the accidents and incidences on that road we have requested a partial budgetary support from the treasury and have negotiated with the contractor to, upon receiving the partial payment, resume site and complete the most critical sections for the sake of safety.”
