Mati road complete, almost 20 years since construction started

The once sleepy Tharaka is now bustling with economic activities after the completion of Mati road.

The national government agreed to tarmac the road after a 1989 National Assembly resolution. But it took 30 years to implement that resolution.

The 103-kilometre stretch, known as the Ena-Ishiara-Chiakariga-Mituguu-Meru road, and named Mati after one of the first MPs in Meru, links Embu, Tharaka-Nithi and Meru counties, cutting through the previously marginalised low-lying semi-arid area.

Its completion has opened up the region for business.

Herbert Kinyua, a real estate developer, says they envisage more development projects to come up in the area because of the Mati road.

“Many motorists want to use it because it is a quicker route from Nairobi to Meru. Unlike the Meru-Embu-Nairobi highway, Mati road is almost straight, flat and has no sharp bends. It is easier to navigate,” said Kinyua.

Previously, most economic activities were concentrated in trading centres along the Meru-Chuka-Embu highway.

President Uhuru Kenyatta is expected to launch the road.

Construction started during the reign of President Mwai Kibaki for the stretch from Ena to Chiakariga, while the Jubilee government has completed the other stretch to Meru town.

New high-end hotels, petrol stations and shopping centres have come up in the region, with traders keen to cash in on the increasing traffic.

“Many motorists, including heavy commercial vehicles, are opting to use the Mati road,” said Tharaka MP Gitonga Murugara.