Paving, road projects change face of Kirinyaga's Wang’uru town

Residents of Wang’uru in Kirinyaga County are upbeat about the new face of the town as the laying of cabro blocks and building of driveways take shape.

Residents and traders are looking forward to the completion of the project before the end of the year.

The cabro paving, launched in October last year by Governor Anne Waiguru, will raise the standards of the once dusty town to the level of others like Kerugoya, Kutus, Kianyaga and Kagio.

The development, a county government flagship project, will cover about 25,000 square metres, creating about 600 car parking slots. It also involves improving the town’s drainage system.

It will cover both sides of the Wang’uru-Gathigiriri road starting from the T-junction to Mwea Rice Mills near the Wang’uru stadium. It will also cover both sides of the highway from Sidian Bank to the Gathigiriri road junction.

Wang'uru hosted Mashujaa Day national celebrations last year, an event attended by more than 3,000 guests. Its roads have already been tarmacked.

Conducive for business

Ms Grace Njeru, who operates a hardware shop in the town, welcomed the project, saying she is a beneficiary of the cabro parking. She said the paving had changed the look of the area and created a conducive trading environment for locals and visitors.

She said the area would be rendered impassable when it rained and was extremely dusty in dry seasons, a situation that kept away customers and hurt businesses.

“Before these cabros were laid, we could even go for a week without making any sales because customers used to shun this part of the town. But now business is picking up and we are registering better sales,” said Ms Njeru.

She added that the cabro blocks have also enhanced hygiene standards and the beauty of one of the busiest and fastest-growing towns in Kirinyaga.

A game changer

Mr Paul Kamau, another trader, said residents are happy with the county government’s initiative of transforming the town.

“Upgrading the town’s infrastructure will contribute greatly to its economic growth and attract more investors. This project is a game changer for Wang’uru town. The town will attract more and more people,” Mr Kamau said.

Boda boda operators have also hailed the development, noting that their business is now booming given that areas previously shunned by customers have now been opened up by pavements and parking lots.

Mr Zachary Munene observed that they previously operated in muddy conditions whenever it rained, making it hard for customers to seek their services. He said the boda boda fraternity is among the main beneficiaries of the cabro project.

“We are grateful that Wang’uru is getting a facelift. The initiative to modernise our town was long overdue. I can’t wait to see what the entire town will look like with cabro parking and driveways everywhere,” Mr Munene said.

Other beneficiaries include rice farmers delivering their produce to mills, millers and the general business community in the area.

Governor Waiguru says the project is twice as big as the Kerugoya town parking project that was completed by the county government last year.

Equitable development

She said her administration is committed to ensuring that there is equitable development in all parts of the county and the Wang’uru project was a timely response to the growing needs of urbanisation.

In the other towns, the cabro projects involved building car parks, pedestrian pavements and storm water management systems. They covered about 25,000 square metres of cabro blocks and created more than 800 parking slots.

The governor said the facelift is part of the county government’s plan to turn urban centres into economic hubs by improving the trading experience.

Wang’uru is a major commercial centre for residents of villages in the expansive Mwea Irrigation Scheme.

Kirinyaga MCAs have adopted a motion that proposes making the town the second municipality after Kerugoya-Kutus.