Rains leave travellers stranded
What you need to know:
- A section of the highway, between Mwembeni and Mgalani, is being built by a Chinese company. Workers at the section downed their tools protesting poor working conditions and being denied allowances.
- Efforts to get a comment from Coast regional Traffic Commander Martin Kariuki failed as he did not answer our calls and messages.
- Kenya National Highway Authority spokesman Charles Njogu said the National Transport and Safety Authority was handling the matter.
Hundreds of travellers spent the night in the cold after the Mombasa-Nairobi highway was rendered impassable at Taru, 80km from Mombasa following heavy rains.
The snarl-up happened after several trucks got stuck in the mud along a 5km diversion.
Mr Gilbert Dzombo, a traveller, who had left Mombasa for Nairobi on a 10pm bus on Thursday, was still stuck at the scene at 11am yesterday. Ms Jenifer Anangwe, a traveller from Nairobi, said she had missed a job interview that she was scheduled to attend at 8am.
“I missed the interview. It’s unfortunate that now I have to return to Nairobi,” she said.
Residents said the snarl-up stretched for more than 20km on both sides of the highway between Mwembeni and Mackinnon Road Msikitini.
“Traffic started building up around 5pm yesterday. It went beyond Mackinnon Road Msikitini,” said Mr Mwagaro Mwangadu at Msufi Trading Centre.
A section of the highway, between Mwembeni and Mgalani, is being built by a Chinese company. Workers at the section downed their tools protesting poor working conditions and being denied allowances.
Efforts to get a comment from Coast regional Traffic Commander Martin Kariuki failed as he did not answer our calls and messages.
Kenya National Highway Authority spokesman Charles Njogu said the National Transport and Safety Authority was handling the matter.
