Contractor blamed for shoddy job on Mombasa-Nairobi road as travellers stuck for 16 hours

Stranded passengers guide a bus that got stuck in the bush at Taru trading centre following a heavy traffic jam. A contractor has been ordered to rebuild the road diversion on the Mombasa-Nairobi highway after complaints of shoddy work. PHOTO | LABAN WALLOGA | NATION MEDIA GROUP

By  Gitonga Marete

What you need to know:

  • Hundreds of truck drivers and travellers, including tourists, spent the night in the cold.
  • Mr Kiverenge said transporters are counting losses in millions of shillings after their trucks got stuck for two days.
  • The northern corridor is being expanded into a dual carriageway starting with the Mombasa-Mariakani section.
  • Motorists have been warned to brace themselves for delays as the contractors move to the site.

A contractor has been ordered to rebuild a road diversion on the Mombasa-Nairobi highway after complaints of shoddy work.

The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has directed the contractor — China Dalian — to do the diversion afresh to allow for a smoother flow of traffic.

KeNHA Corporate Affairs Manager Charles Njogu said the authority took the drastic measure to save regional economies.

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He said the region cannot cope with a shutdown of the northern corridor, which is an important route for delivery of goods.

The move comes following mounting pressure from transporters and commuters, who spent over 16 hours in a traffic jam at Taru on Saturday.

In the past one week, police have been overwhelmed by heavy traffic at Mackinon, Taru and Mariakani, where reconstruction work is under way.

NIGHT IN THE COLD

Hundreds of truck drivers and travellers, including tourists, spent the night in the cold.

They blamed the contractor for a poor job.

“We are used to diversions but this one does not meet the standards,” said Kenya Transporters Association acting Chief Executive Officer Wellington Kiverenge.

“The road is narrow and it is also muddy. As a result of the heavy rains, we are staring at more chaos,” he said.

Mr Kiverenge said transporters are counting losses in millions of shillings after their trucks got stuck for two days.

The Kenya Ports Authority said there is a drop in cargo uptake.

According to data the authority released Monday, 1,700 containers left the port on Wednesday last week, 1,600 on Thursday and 1,400 on Friday.

EFFECTS OF GRIDLOCK

The statistics did not indicate the numbers for Saturday during the traffic jam.

The effects of the gridlock are likely to start being felt this week.

At least 2,000 containers are offloaded from vessels each day and a daily backlog of 200 is likely to cause a pile up in a week.

“At the moment the yard is holding 11,050 containers, which is no cause for alarm, but if the situation continues for two weeks, there will be a problem,” said Bernard Osero, the head of corporate affairs.

In the worst case of congestion ever at the port in 2008, during the post-election violence, the yard was holding up to 22,000 containers.

The northern corridor is being expanded into a dual carriageway starting with the Mombasa-Mariakani section.

Motorists have been warned to brace themselves for delays as the contractors move to the site.

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