New road to open up Kajiado, boost access to capital city

Transport in Kajiado County, which serves a large portion of the Nairobi population, is all set for a major boost, thanks to a major road project currently nearing completion.

The private sector-funded project under an annuity arrangement is already relieving transporters in Kajiado County.

Even as work on the all-important 230km Isara-Imaroro-Kajiado- Isinya-Kiserian-Ngong Suswa road nears completion, trucks loaded with food harvested in farms in the region are already using it to access markets, including the ones in Nairobi.

Construction of the road, which cuts across all the five constituencies in Kajiado County, started in the early years of the Jubilee administration and was split into three stretches, each with its own contractor.

The first stretch measures 70km and starts at Isara in Kajiado South and goes all the way to Imaroro in Kajiado East.

The road is under the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (Kerra) low volume seal (LVS) roads category, which was created following a presidential directive to build 10,000kms of roads countrywide. The longest stretch (90 km) starts in Imaroro and ends in Ngong, Kajiado North, before the 70km Ngong-Suswa snakes its way across Kajiado West to link Kajiado and Narok counties at Suswa.

 Infrastructure Cabinet Secretary James Macharia and Kajiado Governor Joseph ole Lenku made several inspection tours during its construction.

On Tuesday, Mr Macharia, Mr Lenku and Environment Cabinet Secretary Keriako Tobiko once more toured the road and called on residents to fully utilise it for economic empowerment.

“We want you to take care of the road. It touches every part of Kajiado. We shall not allow heavy trucks to use it. Let us see the full exploitation of the economic potential of the area,” said Mr Macharia.

The road is part of the 300km corridor that is all to be built in the county through the annuity programme. 

Mr Lenku, who has relentlessly lobbied for resumption of the roadworks since he became governor, is ecstatic that the journey between Kajiado town and Oloitokitok was cut by three hours.

“This road cuts across horticultural belts in Eselenkei and Isinya and opens the area to huge food markets in the county’s satellite towns of Kitengela, Isinya, Kiserian, Ngong and Ongata Rongai,” said the governor.

Although the project has begun to bear fruit, some of the locals whose land was acquired to pave the way for the road are yet to be compensated.

On Tuesday, Mr Macharia and Mr Lenku said they were finalising the compensation plans.

 “We are seized of the matter and payment will be made soon. We know some people have erected illegal toll stations in the area. We shall deal with them,” said the Mr Lenku. Mr Peter Ole Saruni, a farmer along the Eselenkei river says transporting tomatoes and onions to Kitengela and Nairobi has become easier.

“We now receive customers in the farms. Transport and vehicle maintenance costs have gone down by 40 per cent,” he added.

Ms Grace Sempele, another farmer says more than 500 women are now eking out a living from agriculture away from pastoralism, thanks to the road.