The bridge of death in Kiambu

Unity is a word I have heard over and over again and I bet you have too. When a society comes together in unison and without factoring their tribal backgrounds, cultures, political affiliations, status quo or even their social classes and many more, it is usually then that we experience change. We also begin to live in unity.

Well, it is then that the ‘arrested development’ gets to be released ‘outta’ prisons without bars. The events in Theta ward of Juja Constituency in Kiambu County are only an indication of one thing; that the residents have realised the importance of working together.

They say that unity is strength and this is a reality that dawned on the communities that live along River Ruiru. The river separates two developing wards in Juja constituency and for a long time has been of great hindrance to their development in so many ways.

This is because one cannot cross over to the other side with ease. There were no bridges to connect the two wards before, but this ceased to be a problem when members of these two wards decided to work together.

They then came up with a makeshift bridge to ease their movements across the river and to enable them access both regions and conduct their businesses normally. This was indeed the beginning of many good things that would follow thereafter.

But there was a problem with the bridge; it was constructed so narrowly that made it difficult to be used by motorcycles and even some people were afraid of using it especially at night. This resulted in only risk takers risking their lives and goods or property across the river.

A lot has been lost while trying to cross the river and this time it was a life that was lost. In the past year alone, the villagers noted that at least five adults and three children lost their lives while trying to cross the bridge.

But how did this happen? And this is a question most of you would ask as well. These are the answers; the five adults were all male who risked their lives. The women are more careful and they suffer less consequences but it still led to their demise. It is also never safe to leave children crossing the bridge by themselves, since this has led to their deaths.

As much as we can say that most of these men died while trying to cross the bridge on motorcycles, some of them may have lost their lives at night when trying to cross the bridge drunk.

Due to the narrowness of the bridge, it is very easy to lose balance and fall off and drown into the flooded river. Some people have also been reported missing and it is feared that they are dead.

I am tempted to put blames because of these lives that have been lost. I feel like I should blame the government, particularly the county government of Kiambu for not stepping in early enough to solve the problem.

Maybe I should just blame the carelessness of these individuals for failing to learn from the first incident and continued to experiment with their lives. Maybe I should blame those parents whose kids drowned in that river too. Why did they not warn their children of the dangers of that bridge and let them cross it by themselves?

Maybe the blames should all go to the community and everybody who participated in constructing this killer bridge. Why did they not just construct a good bridge, a wider one? And the community, why did they not think and come up with an immediate solutions after the first life was lost or even after several?

This is not the time to put blames but find solutions. Families have been left to deal with the loss of loved ones. Some have lost their fathers and as a result, we have single mothers taking care of their children alone.

Other families have lost their children too. Children who never lived long enough to realise their dreams. It is only better that solutions are found to prevent more lives from being lost. It was this that led to the society along the river to come together and solve the issue once and maybe for all.

They selected some members to represent larger wards and form a committee that would spearhead the construction of a new, stronger, durable, wider, and safer bridge for use. This will be easily used by all the community members whether young or old and even those with motorcycles.

It will also be wider so that one does not easily lose stability when trying to cross it even when drunk, although it is dangerous to try crossing a bridge when drunk.

The plans have been laid and during the launch of the ground breaking ceremony on the April 2, it was evident that everyone was eager to start working hard for a better bridge.

A large number turned up to offer their support in terms of labour, building materials, and financial support. To grace the occasion was Juja Member of Parliament Hon. Waititu.

He was quick to note that other members of parliament and representatives of the county will also contribute to the project and see it through to conclusion.

The construction has progressed and despite the test of time, every member of the community is giving their support and continues contributing towards the good cause of that project. This is a sign of good things in the future and a show of how solidarity can lead to development.