Juja residents have completed construction of a crucial bridge that has been in a deplorable state for decades.
The bridge links Juja Farm and Zone T villages and its construction is a relief for residents who have suffered for years. Several State House workers came to their rescue by pooling resources worth Sh4 million for the project, while residents offered labour.
James Kariuki, a resident and an employee at State House, on Saturday said the bridge was being used by politicians as a campaign tool during electioneering after which they abandoned it.
“We got tired of being given empty promises and being taken around in circles by politicians who have been promising to construct the bridge only to disappear after being elected. We live here and know the pain we have endured due to this bridge and its importance. We are grateful that the bridge is now complete and the suffering is over,” he said.
Kariuki spoke while commissioning the bridge. He said he mobilised his co-workers and raised the money and with the help of residents managed to construct the bridge in a record 30 days.
“We have ensured that the bridge is constructed properly and is strong to even hold trucks ferrying building stones from local quarries in our villages,” he said.
He noted that before, residents used to cross the Thiririka River through a makeshift bridge that would be swept away whenever the river swells during downpours.
“Residents have been risking their lives crossing the river on the makeshift bridge. At times children living in one village and schooling in the other village would fail to attend school for weeks whenever the river burst its banks. These are some of the problems we were seeking to end,” Kariuki said.
He said the bridge will promote development as the value of land in the area is already rising. “Land prices have already started going up. A 50x100 piece of land in the two villages is now going for Sh1.2 million from Sh500,000,” he said.
Residents who spoke to journalists expressed their joy and even proposed changing their village name from Zone T to Eden.
“During rainy seasons, we were forced to travel for over 20 kilometres to access services like medical services, which we can easily get across the bridge,” said Zone T resident Joel Munyeki who has lived in the village for more than 40 years.
The residents appealed to the county government to rehabilitate roads in the area.
Edited by F'Orieny
