Big relief in Kigumo as 123km Mau Mau Road to be tarmacked

Residents of Kigumo in Murang’a County have expressed gratitude following the announcement by the government of the tarmacking of Mau Mau Road which will connect three-agriculturally rich counties in Mt Kenya region.

They say once complete, the road will ease the transport burden as many of them are mostly farmers.

Led by Kigumo MP Ruth Wangari Mwaniki, the locals Monday said they hope to reap big upon the completion of 123-kilometre road which will run along the edges of the Aberdare Forest connecting Murang’a, Nyeri, Kiambu and Nyandarua counties.

POOR ROADS

The MP said that for a very long time, residents of Kigumo, who are farmers, have faced difficulties in accessing Nyandarua due to a poor road network, forcing them to pass through the 100-kilometre dilapidated Thika-Mang’u-Fly Over road.

Once the new road is tarmacked, the distance will be shortened by 75 kilometres, she said.

“Our farmers will benefit a lot with the construction of Mau Mau Road since instead of using the long dilapidated road, they will only pass through the Gatare forest to Njabini which is only 23 kilometres. Traders from Nyandarua who do business at Kangari market will also benefit,” the MP said.

She as speaking during a site visit by contractors.

TRANSPORT COSTS

She said farmers currently pay huge amounts of money to ferry their goods to the counties in the region.

She said Mau Mau road will connect Gatundu North, Gatanga, Kigumo and Kangema constituencies with Nyeri County, thus easing the traffic on other main roads and reducing the distance covered by motorists by half.

The road, whose construction was promised by President Uhuru Kenyatta while on a recent visit in Murang’a County, will shorten the distance from Murang’a and Nyeri to Nyandarua and other parts of the Rift Valley.

Mau Mau Road will follow routes which were used by freedom fighters as they accessed their hideouts in the Aberdare Forest.

In August, Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia announced that the tender for the road had been advertised.

HONOUR FREEDOM FIGHTERS

He said the road will benefit locals in the various counties and also honour the freedom fighters who used it as the fought the colonialists.

“The government is committed to opening up roads in the country. We have constructed 8,000 kilometres of the 10,000 kilometers of roads we promised in 2013 and the roads are equitably distributed in all parts of the country and the remaining kilometres will be completed before 2022,” said the CS when toured Murang’a County.

According to the design for Mau Mau Road, the project will be divided into three sections and will be done in two years.

The project will start at Mairi-Kinyona-Ichichi-Wanjerere-Kiamuturi and end at Kairo at the border of Murang’a and Nyeri.

In Nyeri County the road will run across Othaya, Tetu and Kieni sub-counties.

Also included in the design is Kiamara-Kangema-Kanyenyaini-Tuthu section covering 33.8 kilometres.