Heavy trucks banned from using Nakuru-Nairobi highway

A section of a bridge along the Nairobi-Nakuru highway that was washed away by floods. [Photo: Antony Gitonga/Standard]

By Antony Gitonga                                     

Naivasha, Kenya: The Ministry of Roads has banned heavy vehicles from using the Nairobi-Nakuru highway after a section of a bridge near Naivasha town was washed away by floods.

This came as senior government officers led by the PS in the Ministry Engineer Michael Kamau visited the bridge in Kayole estate to access the damage.

The road was washed off by flash floods that hit the lakeside town following heavy rains in the town and in the nearby Nyandarua area.

The floods paralysed business in the town washing away farm produce, livestock and flooding homes with Kihoto and Lakeview estates being the most affected.

During the incident, students from St Xavier Secondary School had to be evacuated while property worth thousand of shillings was destroyed in the nearby Upendo village.

Addressing the press, the PS said that a contractor had been identified and works to repair the bridge would start immediately.

He attributed the damage to a burst dam in the area adding that one lane of the highway would be open for small vehicles while heavy vehicles should use the Mai Mahiu road.

“The damage was caused by flash floods and we have a contractor on site who will embark on repairs,” he said.

Kamau added that rains had caused havoc in the country saying many roads had been affected.

He further said that the government had released Sh500m to the Kenya National Highways Authority for emergency purposes.

Naivasha MP John Kihagi said rains had caused a lot of damage in Naivasha town and called on the ministry to assist in repairs.

“We thank the ministry for the quick response but we are concerned by the damages done on the road system in the town,” he said.

On their part, area residents attributed the damages in the town to poor drainage and called on the county government to address it urgently.

According to a trader Alice Ndung’u, many shops and homes had been flooded with residents counting losses running into thousand of shillings.

“The biggest challenge facing Naivasha is drainage and we fear that we might loose more as the rains continue,” she said.

During the floods that mainly affected Kenyatta Avenue, tens of people were stranded on both sides as they waited for the waters to subside.