CS says ministry to upgrade 408km of road in city slums

Over 400 kilometres of roads will be upgraded in Nairobi’s informal settlements, the Ministry of Transport has said.

Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia has said the upgrade of roads is one of the measures being undertaken to improve accessibility to essential goods and services as the capital combats Covid-19.

The 408-kilometre road works will be undertaken by the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (Kura) and will cover Kibra, Mukuru kwa Njenga, Mathare, Dagoretti, Dandora, Githurai, Korogocho/Ngomongo, Kasarani and Roysambu areas.

Kura’s Director General Silas Kinoti, who had toured Dagoretti Constituency to inspect roads on Friday, said they will be upgraded to bitumen standards under the informal settlements programme.

He stated that the road rehabilitation project would be launched once everything was put in order.

“We are still in the planning process. The Covid-19 pandemic has given us a chance to open up the slums and make them accessible,” Kinoti said.

He added that this will ensure easy access of ambulances in the slums in cases of emergencies or water for sanitation.

This is in line with President Uhuru Kenyatta’s March 18, 2020, directive to have NMS undertake slum-upgrading initiatives in the city.

The Nairobi Disaster Management Unit had in 2018 raised concern over lack of access roads in the slums as a major hindrance during emergencies.

This was witnessed during the recent Gikomba market fire outbreak where goods worth millions were destroyed.