Residents of Kenol town in Maragua constituency, Murang’a county, want the government to compensate them before commencing construction of the Kenol-Sagana-Marua dual carriageway.
The residents told a public participation forum on Monday compensation money would enable them find alternative locations for their businesses.
They further noted that they do not wish to engage in the push and pull that surrounds compensation during the implementation of major government projects.
The traders who have been conducting their businesses along the Kenol-Sagana highway said they want a smooth transition that will not occasion them losses.
“We rely on our businesses to support our families and any hitches in the compensation process will cause suffering to our families,” Geoffrey Thiong’o, a butcher, said.
He said most traders rely on loans to expand and sustain their businesses and urged the government to ensure their lives are not disrupted.
Thiong’o said residents support the dual carriageway project as it will boost development in the area but noted that they did not want it to negatively impact traders.
Last year, traders along the highway protested a one-month notice by Kenya National Highways Authority to vacate their areas of operation pending the expansion of the highway.
The traders said the notice was too short for them to relocate their businesses, saying they wanted the deadline pushed to December as construction was set to start this month.
Another resident Stanley Karanja said the town will benefit hugely from the expansion of the road as it will further increase the flow of traffic.
Karanja said the project should be awarded to trustworthy contractors who will do quality work that will last for decades.
“Many local roads that are being done in the county lately get potholes in less than two years,” Karanja said.
He urged the contractors to buil Githanji Primary School as corporate social responsibility, saying children in the area walk long distances to school yet there is an idle 65-acre parcel of public land available.
Area MP Mary Waithera lauded the government for implementing major road projects in the region which he said was made possible by the President’s good leadership.
