Kajiado villages marooned, roads cut off amid heavy rains
Residents of Lorng'osua in Kajiado central repair a section of the Lorng'osua-Ilbisl road that was damaged by floods on November 27, 2023.
Several villages in Kajiado Central Sub-county have been cut off by raging flash floods, leaving residents stranded and businesses disrupted.
Heavy rains that pounded the area on Sunday night resulted in floods that washed away bridges and made several rural roads impassable.
Residents of Torosei and Lorngoswa villages could not access the nearby Ilbisil town to buy food and other necessities; Ilbisil, on the Namanga road, serves as a link town to the Namanga highway.
The floods had left a wide valley across the road, completely cutting off transport.
"We are cut off from the rest of the county, the road has been washed away, we have no access to nearby Ilbisil town, our lives have been disrupted and we fear the worst in the coming days," said John Koshopa, a trader.
The only roads have been damaged by the floods and bridges have been washed away. Those who were in Ilbisil town when the torrential downpour began on Sunday night were forced to spend the night in the town.
Dejected residents have blamed the authorities for the poor road network in the area.
"We are appealing to both Kajiado County and the national government to quickly address the situation before deaths are reported," said Janet Marikua, a resident.
Also affected by the floods is Kajiado South Sub-county where farmers are suffering heavy losses. The 67-kilometre Ilasit-Taveta road is currently impassable.
"We cannot access markets for our farm produce. The road is terrible. Transport has been paralysed for more than a week now," said Kennedy Pameres.
The road linking Kajiado and Taveta counties has been in a deplorable state for the past 20 years.
In May 2019, the Kenya National Highway Authority promised through a public notice that it had identified a contractor to tarmac the road at a cost of Sh5.383 billion under the Annuity Road Project Programme.
The annuity programme was part of the former President Uhuru Kenyatta administration's efforts to upgrade 10,000km of roads across the country through public-private partnerships.
In October 2019, the contractor was identified. However, around December 2019, the contractor was seen leaving the site. Since then, construction is yet to begin.
