Prioritise terror hot spots, Lamu-Garsen road builder told

Commuters using the Lamu-Garsen route which is currently under construction want the contractor to prioritise on parts of the road passing through renowned terror hotspots by ensuring they are completed first.

Speaking to journalists on Monday, drivers, passengers and pedestrians complained that the road builder had started working on the safer parts of the road and is taking “extremely too long” to move to the other sections of the road.

20PC COMPLETE

The Sh10.8 billion Lamu-Garsen road is being built by H-Young Company and is already at 20 percent complete.

The 135 kilometre Lamu-Garsen stretch is key as it connects of Lamu to the rest of the coastal region and other parts of Kenya.

But disgruntled drivers, passengers and pedestrians who use the road daily want the contractor to complete building terror hotspots like Milihoi, Mambo Sasa, Nyongoro and Lango la Simba.

AL-SHABAAB HIDEOUTS

For years, these areas have become the best hideouts and spots for the dreaded Al-Shabaab militants from where they launch attacks on security and civilian vehicles plying the road.

The hotspots are characterised by a poor road network that makes it impossible for drivers to move fast in case of such incidents.

ATTACKS

Between 2016 and 2018, a number of security officers and civilians have died in Al-Shabaab attacks at those terror hotspots along the Lamu-Garsen route.

On July 13, 2017, former Public Works Permanent Secretary Mariam El Maawy, her niece and four bodyguards were attacked by Al-Shabaab at Milihoi. They lost their lives.

Several other incidents of Al-Shabaab attacks have also been witnessed at Milihoi with the latest incident being on July 26, 2018 where a police officer was killed and two others injured when a Toyota Land Cruiser vehicle they were travelling in ran over a homemade bomb before heavily armed militants shot randomly at the vehicle.