Tharaka Nithi residents want Ruto to fulfill promise of Sh6.5b roads

Tharaka Nithi County residents are eagerly waiting for President-elect William Ruto to complete Sh6.5 billion stalled road projects as he promised during campaigns.

The tarmacking of most of the seven roads totalling 159km started in President Uhuru Kenyatta’s first term, but only 75km were completed, according to government spokesperson Cyrus Oguna, who spoke during his recent tour of the county.

Speaking during campaigns in the county, Dr Ruto promised that the work would restart as soon as he assumed office.

He claimed some of the projects had been denied funding because leaders from the region had chosen to support his presidential bid instead of that of Azimio’s Raila Odinga, whom President Kenyatta supported.

“I will make sure that work resumes on the stalled projects immediately after I take over the country’s leadership,” said Dr Ruto in Chuka town.

Having overwhelmingly voted for Dr Ruto, residents are now eagerly waiting for him to fulfill his promises.

Key roads

One of the stalled key roads is the 31km Chuka-Kaanwa-Kareni road in Chuka/Igambang’ombe constituency whose construction started on May 10, 2015. Citing failed payments, the contractor left in 2017 after tarmacking only six kilometres.

The Sh537 million road that connects the county headquarters Kathwana with the devolved unit’s largest commercial centre, Chuka, was scheduled to be completed in 2018.

In Tharaka constituency, the 36km Gatunga-Marimanti-Ciakariga road, whose construction started on July 27, 2016, was expected to be completed on January 27, 2019, but it also stalled.

The road, whose construction was launched by outgoing Tharaka Nithi Senator Kithure Kindiki and later relaunched by President Kenyatta, is the first tarmac road in Tharaka constituency.

Work on the 23km Weru-Chogoria road in Maara constituency that is being tarmacked for Sh978 million started in 2016 and was scheduled to be completed by 2018, but it stalled at only 9.3km.

In the same constituency, the Sh1.1 billion 32km Kaare-Magutuni-Kathwana road, whose work was launched by Deputy President William Ruto on September 17, 2018 and was expected to be completed on March 7, 2021, stalled at the initial stages.

In Chuka/Igambang’ombe constituency, a 23km Chuka University access road whose construction started on June 2, 2017 and was slated to be finished on June 2, 2019 is yet to be completed.

Tharaka Nithi residents are also looking forward to the completion of mega irrigation projects and the establishment new ones to facilitate farming.

“We are reminding Dr Ruto of the promises that he made during campaigns because we voted for him and he won,” said Mr John Mutembei, a resident of Chuka.