By Mwangi Geita
The just about to be completed Nairobi-Thika Superhighway stands out as the latest infrastructure facility with extra emphasis on safety for motorists and pedestrians.
In a meeting between Roads PS Michael Kamau and Kenya Society for the Physically Challenged, he highlighted the way the Foot Over Bridges (FOB) have included ramps to accommodate the physically challenged while crossing the road.
The bridges are also covered incase of bad weather conditions. The landings of the ramps and stairs for the bridges lead pedestrians to the foot path/cycles, which have been developed, on both sides of the road all the way from Nairobi to Thika.
Before the FOB’s are constructed and opened to the public, provision of speed bumps, rumble strips and zebra crossings have been provided to ensure safe crossing of the pedestrians.
A combination of temporary signs, permanent signs and road marking have all been put in place to ease movement. The superhighway remains such a phenomenon to behold that it has attracted delegations from several countries including Tanzania, Zanzibar, Uganda, Benin, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan and Niger among others.
With the facility now standing at approximately 97 per cent completion, the onus now is on the public to make use of it and realise the huge investment which the Government has done in partnership with development partners: the African Development Bank (which provided 70 per cent funding for Lot 1 and 2) and Chinese Exim Bank which funded for Lot 3 100 per cent).
The flyovers, interchanges, underpasses and overpasses are meant to ease congestion and provide an access controlled motorway with accompanying service roads, slip roads, bus laybays and well demarcated lanes.
The project brings into focus the potential the country has as the designs were done by Kenyan engineers in collaboration with their Indian counterparts through a joint venture under CES/APEC consulting Engineers Joint Venture.
The Chinese Contractors are undertaking the works in all the thee Lots and their speed, organisational skills and programming is no doubt an envy to many.
Even as the project draws to completion, it is interesting the way it continues to attract admiration and criticism in equal measure.
There are those who cannot help but appreciate the Government’s resolve towards provision of better infrastructure with the superhighway being just but a foretaste of things to come in the Vision 2030 ambition which targets to have Kenya rise to Medium Income Economy by 2030.
Other columnists remain overzealous to malign Government officers through personal vendetta, uninformed publications, not to mention unfounded criticism meant to belittle the professionals of tested standing who are busy causing works to happen and may not afford time for exchanges in the newspapers.
The pessimistic writings date back to the project’s inception, when many said it would never see the light of day, yet with the other pen, they were criticising the Government of being insensitive to the poor state of infrastructure “a real contrast in their mind sets”.
What the critics fail to understand is the full picture where the superhighway together with the by-passes are a part of wider infrastructure plan meant to decongest Nairobi and open easy movement towards Northern Kenya – Isiolo, Marsabit, Turbi, Moyale and into Ethiopia.
There is more to come including missing links which are being funded through the Japanese Government and expansion of Uhuru Highway which has remained an eyesore for almost a decade as it failed to take-off owing to World Bank, procurement issues. Currently the Government is carrying out the designs and motorists are looking forward towards decongestion of Uhuru Highway.
The writer is a communication consultant on infrastructure in Africa
