Dangerous manholes in the city still gaping years after the promise to cover them

On September 10, 2015, Nicholas Kubuni broke his leg after falling into an open manhole at the Country Bus Station, popularly known as Machakos Bus Station.

Mr Kubuni parted with more than Sh200,000 in medical bills after sustaining several fractures on his right leg, and walked on crutches for more than five months during which the sole-breadwinner was turned into a dependent.

Fifty-four-year-old Kubuni is just one of the many people who carry a physical mark as a reminder of the gaping manholes that dot the city, thanks to Nairobi City County's carelessness.

Two years later, the manholes remain gaping and even worse, the rugged sides carry the risk of causing deep cuts.

Dangerous living

Despite several incidents in the past where people have fallen into these manholes and suffered injuries, the county is yet to cover them up.

Traders in this section of the city are up in arms against the county authorities for failing to repair the many damaged and open manholes there.

As we arrive at the bus station, a pungent smell of raw sewage hits us. Right in the middle of the two-way access road is a gaping manhole with a tyre inside.

"This is our office but God knows how dangerously we live here. This hole has been here for more than three years and the number of people who have been injured is uncountable," says Ronald Junior, popularly known as Garang'.

Garang', who operates a motorcycle, says broken limbs and other injuries are not the only risks that threaten them every day. The unpleasant smell badly affects their health.

"The entire place smells like rotten eggs. All day, we have bloated stomachs; we feel drowsy and exhausted," he says, adding that many bus station workers have stopped eating at a hotel located close to the manhole for fear of getting sick.

"We all used to eat at the hotel, but it is impossible to stomach food and this smell together. While some of us ask to be served food from the restaurant far from here, others opt to go to other restaurants," says Garang'.

Raw sewage

The traders say the commuters who arrive at the bus station early in the morning or late at night often are the most common victims of the manholes.

Those who are lucky to escape unscathed after plunging into the open pits get away with a good amount of human waste in their shoes and clothes.

"The situation gets worse when it rains. Human waste floats freely everywhere and we are forced to tread through the mess as we go about our businesses," says Dickson Mwene, another trader at the station.

He says during the rainy season, they often lose many customers as people shun the place to avoid the mess.

Garang also says they often help motorists who hit the manholes to push their vehicles out.

"Motorist often get stuck in the manholes and end up damaging their vehicles badly. Besides, they are forced to pay the street boys who help them get out of the ditches," he said.

In an effort to explain the situation, one county officer says: "Street children and other people vandalise the (manhole) covers and sell them as scrap metal. Some are destroyed by heavy vehicles."

It remains to be seen how soon - or if - the newly-installed regime at City Hall will make a move to secure the well-being of city residents.