Traders along the 80km Kenol-Sagana highway have protested a one-month vacate notice to enable the expansion of the road to a dual carriageway.
The traders said the Kenya National Highways Authority (Kenha) issued the notice two weeks ago.
They said the notice is too short, and they won't have time to relocate their businesses, which will lead to loss of income.
They said that even though they support the project as it will bring development in the area, displacing them so suddenly is unfair.
Small roadside businesses include eateries, hawkers and bars.
Faith Kamau said her child will sit the KCSE exam this year and disrupting her trade may hurt his studies.
She said the notice should be pushed to December since construction is set to start in January next year.
“We have taken one-year licences from the county government to operate along the road. We are pleading with Murang'a Governor Mwangi wa Iria to intervene and ensure the notice is postponed. He is our only hope,” she said.
Pineapple vendor Peter Njoroge said since hawking does not make enough money to help him adequately support his family, he survives on loans that he repays from his returns.
Relocating him, he said, would put him at risk of facing penalties from financial institutions.
Geoffrey Thiong’o, who operates a butchery in Kenol town, said he recently took a loan to expand his business. He pleaded for more time to allow him to clear his debts before relocating his business.
He took the loan last month and should start servicing it this month.
Thiong’o urged the government to identify another area where the traders can be relocated.
In May, the government announced that the dual carriageway’s design is almost complete and that construction will soon start.
Kenha chairman Erastus Mwongera said construction work will take three years and the project will form one of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s legacy.
Mwongera revealed that the government is in consultation with the African Development Bank (AfDB) to fund the project.
In mid-June, Deputy President William Ruto said the government has set aside close to Sh50 billion to upgrade the road in its first phase.
The road will be constructed in not less than three years and should be completed before 2022.
Meanwhile, the tender to upgrade the 80km Kenol-Marua road to a dual carriageway will be in the newspapers on Tuesday.
Transport and Infrastructure CS James Macharia on Friday said people have been waiting for the road for many years and it is as if it has become just a narrative.
